Black Weasel
by BanishedOne
Summary: Everything happens for a reason. Or, so that's what they say. But why did it have to come to this? Itachi-centric. ItaSasu
1. Chapter 1

_As soon as you're born they make you feel small  
__By giving you no time instead of it all  
__Till' the pain is so big you feel nothing at all  
__A working class hero is something to be  
__A working class hero is something to be_

**:::**

It was a different time- and such a different time /a time of war/ called for more brutal training; More exposure, these kids needed to get used to bloodshed. They needed to be stripped of emotion, and merciful weakness. -Humanity- was an unnecessary thing in a person that was born to be -inhumane-

This program was special- Only for the most -promising- shinobi. Children with strength, and raw skill, and the underlying possibility that they could grow to be -machines- of warfare. Unquestioning soldiers of relentless, murderous duty.

It was the first day of the academy's special program, the first batch of young students, the first lesson.

/exposure/ - /And the heir to the Uchiha was one among the group in attendance./-

"Battle is necessary for survival.. Power.." The instructor rattled on in a hypnotizing, deep, and ominous tone- Still, dark and innocent wide eyes flickered in a subtle fashion around the room. The walls, and desks, and chairs, and even the uniforms worn by instructors and students alike, all gray, so lifeless, so conformed in the inanimate feel of it.

"Brutality is one of natures most important concepts. One must fight if one wants to live, if one seeks to protect what is most important... Acceptance of this constant struggle on the line separating life and death is a must.."

A light flickered on, and all the young optics in the circle of tables turned their attention to what it revealed. A large glass holding cell, in the center of the classroom. /Itachi was in the first row of seats, he could have touched the glass if he wished to do so./ Rather, he took everything in immediately, observing, and deducting, his young mind fast at work. /Promising/

Within the cell there were two black boxes. -If you paid close attention you could see the one on the left shift every now and again- It should have been clear something was contained within. In minor moments /once every child was looking on/ one box jolted apart, and a hoard of vibrantly colored serpents slithered from within. They were a splash of electricity to the senses in the gray of the dull classroom, banded dangerously in yellows and purples and reds, and white and black- stripes, spots, and patterns of all sorts. You could almost -feel- a gasp from the group watching /Though a good student made no noise, or comment or movement. A good student paid attention, and took in the lesson./

These creatures were maddened- Unfed, and most likely doped with all sorts of chemicals livening their aggression, and need to kill. It was most apparent in how they slithered from side to side, all about the holding area, scanning, but never stopping, hissing, and striking at one another occasionally, but never breaking the bond between themselves. They were the same kind- They fought together, rather than against one another. It was some sort of small tie, something to hold onto, even for a limbless serpent.

The noise from the snakes caused the other box ((Which was still shut)) to rattle more furiously. The tension surrounding its mystery caused the young Uchiha to lean forward slightly, slowly, unnoticeably, so that his face was only inches away from the glass.

/Curious/A sign of great intelligence/

-Maybe he was a bit naive-

The other box finally jolted open, revealing what had been housed within. Two furry creatures, colored quite opposite the snakes ((and each other)) One was petite, and white, though its elongated middle was fat with nature's miracle of reproduction in the works. The other was larger, bulky, and covered in ruffled black fur. His long back arched threateningly at the serpentine creatures surrounding what had been their safe haven, and his tiny nose wrinkled up to reveal his mouth full of small, but needle-like teeth. His face was a snarled mask, and the naive Uchiha tried to move closer in his curious state, though his forehead met the glass with the tiniest thump.

That black weasel stared right at him. /through him/ And moved in an obsidian flash, ramming up against the glass so that Itachi jolted backward in surprise. Those eyes, that tiny creature had such bloodlust in his fiery orange eyes.

But the long-bodied mammal had no time to waste with the prying child. Once he moved away from his mate, the snakes moved in, threatening to destroy the coming of birth with the horror of death. One large purplish reptile struck at the white ball of fur, only to be caught by the neck by the darker of the two mammals. The black weasel sunk his tiny teeth in, tearing through scales, and pulling back, pushing in with small /but very sharp/ claws, shredding and ripping open the reptiles body.

/That snake was dead right then, and the weasel tossed it to the side, making its lifeless body collide with the glass, leaving a vibrant crimson streak where the torn open throat leaked upon the clear surface as the dead reptile fell./

-It was a perfect beginning for this group of students.-

But the young Uchiha could not believe the surprise that was welling up inside the pit of his stomach, the shock. /He was afraid he would be sick, especially as all the cold-blooded creatures attacked the black weasel full force, pricking him from every angle with venomous fangs./

-He had to turn his head, dark lashes grazing his pale cheeks as he hid his eyes from this scene, and his brows wrinkled together, utterly upset.-

It was seconds before he found a gloved hand clutching his tiny head roughly, and turning him back to watch, forcing him to see the mammal writhe in pain as he continued to fight, and continued to rip apart his cold-blooded combatants. One by one it tore them apart, ignoring the venom quickly being pumped more and more furiously into its system, until eventually it stood on short, shaky legs amongst a pile of dead reptiles. Slowly, it padded away, making small paw prints marking its path in blood. It had successfully protected is mate, but at the price of immense suffering.

"..The small creature feels terrible pain, but can withstand large amounts of venom.. Whereas the venom surely would have caused the female to lose its litter.. It is the natural sacrifice made in nature for one creature to kill in order to protect, at the price of suffering, and even death.."

**:::**

_They hurt you at home, and they hit you at school  
__They hated you clever, and despise a fool  
__Till' you're so fucking crazy, you can't follow their rules  
__A working class hero is something to be  
__A working class hero is something to be_

**:::**

/Survive/

Not years after, weeks perhaps, the scene between the snakes and that valiant mammal seemed to replay. The pain, Itachi could feel it now. He was reliving something he barely even found the heart to watch.

-Surrounded- Family members, other young Uchiha, kids, but much older than Itachi still. They had been recruited for some special training that Fugaku Uchiha had arranged.

Itachi, he was outnumbered, three-on-one. These other three young shinobi aged perhaps, eight, ten, and twelve. All of them had brutal, dark eyes, eyes that reflected the dark abyssmal soul of their prestigious clan. They weren't -special- like Itachi was, and yet, here it was that the youngest of the group ((who had just began his taijutsu training, unfortunately)) was being bounced back and forth like a ball between these other three kids.

-How- could this be? His father and mother had said he was special. He was the heir to the clan. Then why, now, was he being so mercilessly beaten? He could feel his father's eyes watching in the distance.

/Cold/ -but with very high- /Expectations/

/Concentration/ Itachi found his center. /Spirit/ And before he could be flung away again he threw up a hand, catching a blow, and dragging the larger kid forward in an attempt to land a kick to his gut. He was unsuccessful, however, and was thrown off by the other young Uchiha, rolling across the dusty ground with a few harsh thumps, and then.. Silence.

"You really thought you could succeed in a fist fight with me? What a lack-wit." The other kid mocked Itachi, savoring the sweet taste of triumph as the much younger, much smaller boy coughed up a small stream of blood.

Glittering eyes watched hopelessly from the ground; Itachi didn't feel like getting up again. He was tired of this senseless fighting.(So tired of fighting) He was no match for these kids. Why couldn't his father just call them off? Kami- He was so ashamed. His father would be furious on top of disappointed.

"You're just going to lay there then, Uchiha heir? You're giving up? You're willing to die now without fighting?" The largest of the three kids rattled on now, repeating their academy lessons in his own words, throwing them in Itachi's face. He glanced up, eyes flashing weakly from one hovering opponent to the next. They had him outnumbered, and overpowered, and yet... They all seemed to freeze when they met him eye-to-eye.

What was it that made them so jumpy now?

/Inheritance/ -learn to use it-learn to- /Prevail/

The eldest of the group looked up at the one watching over the 'training session', questioning, and his question was answered with the flick of Fugaku's wrist, the glimmer of cold, sharp steel; a kunai landing with a -shing-, its razor sharp tip digging into the ground, its reflective surface catching Itachi's attention. He could see himself. Bruised. Battered. Bloody.

/But something was different/

The opportunity to discover what had changed was taken swiftly away; The largest member of the group took the kunai by the handle, and lifted it with intent. He gave a nod to his allies, and they rushed forward, grabbing the /almost/ completely vulnerable Uchiha heir up by his arms, holding him steady as he tried to struggle, and escape. The one holding the kunai walked forward, smirking as he twirled the weapon between his fingers. He said nothing to the /almost/ helpless heir, he just started cutting.

/Tolerance/

Itachi gave nothing in return- No sound. No whimpering, screaming, crying, or pleading. The blade was dragged across his upper arm, finely slicing open his skin almost painlessly, because of how sharp the kunai was. He could feel the warmth of the crimson trail that escaped more vividly than anything, running down his arm at such a steady pace, and finally dripping off of his elbow.

-drip-

Itachi could hear that sound, so clearly.

-drip-

His eyes met the tiny puddle that was being quickly absorbed into the dusty ground. Small drops of ruby; brilliant, fiery ruby.

-drip-

The kunai was being raised now, coming up so that the cool razor-edge pressed lightly against his neck. He knew this is what would happen, somehow he knew it would come to this.

/Your life is on the line/ You have no choice/

"You're going to die."

He could see the reflection of the kid holding one of his arms in the kunai. Yes, he could see that boy, and the boy was looking right into the glinting metal. He could see Itachi just the same, and oh how his expression seemed to shift as Itachi stared down at those reflected eyes in the blade. He was overjoyed at first, the boy holding the heir prisoner, enjoying causing pain to the smaller male without fear of getting into any kind of trouble. Then the boy noticed something, something hypnotizing, and vibrant, and twisting, and his attention was drawn right into it, unknowing, until he realized what it was he was staring into. He realized he had been captured, and he could only release a muffled, and cut off wail of fear as his mind was thrown into agony.

That boy fell, immobilized, and Itachi jerked himself free from the only other one holding onto him ((Who also happened to be startled and very inattentive considering one of his allies had just hit the ground without warning.))

In a darted movement Itachi managed to steal the kunai right out of the hand of the boy threatening him, and though he was still choking up blood, he willed himself to continue, lest he would never get out of this.

His strength laid hidden in his eyes. -And that was what had changed that he hadn't noticed before.-That was the reason these boys only looked into those feral ruby orbs with nervousness.- Rounded pools flashed a luminous crimson beneath his long, dark lashes, and the boy just in front of him jumped back as if he were avoiding a raging inferno.

/There is a raging inferno inside, though, isn't there?/

Itachi didn't need to think much, he -knew- what to do. He threw the kunai high into the air, straight and precise, timed even, and for a second the boy in front of him stared up, wondering what Itachi meant in throwing the blade at no particular target. When his eyes came back to the young heir however ((Because he hadn't noticed how Itachi's power had been steadily growing during his plight)) it was two down, his black orbs reflecting the liquid red they stared so foolishly into /captured/ and he collapsed just as the kunai came back down, flitting in it's set path right in front of Itachi's face, catching the reflected face of the boy just behind the youngest, smallest male present. It happened so fast, the third boy was reduced to a heap of unconscious weakling as he caught the second's visual of a desperately brutal sharingan eye reflected in the kunai's silvery surface.

Itachi's head was tilted back as he took in a long, deep breath, and released a relieved sigh. His tired eyes shut as he merely allowed the gentle golden sun to caress his blood-splattered face.

/He was so thankful that it was over. Finally, over./

But it wasn't over at all, was it?

-No, it was only beginning-

Fully evolved sharingan eyes revealed themselves from beneath Itachi's doll-like lashes as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see his father standing next to him. Fugaku gave a small nod before walking away; No greater praise than that for his son who had been forced to fight for his life.

/Fight/

:::  
TBC  
:::


	2. Chapter 2

_When they tortured and scared you for twenty-odd years  
__Then they expect you to pick a career  
__When you can't really function, you're so full of fear  
__A working class hero is something to be  
__A working class hero is something to be_

**:::**

This mission; this mission secured the heir to the Uchiha's placement in ANBU. This was the final test of his skill and knowledge, and everything he had learned over the years. This was the very night that greatness would be completely within his grasp.

He knew better than to think he was here for honor or recognition.

/It's no secret/

This was the mission that would finally put Itachi into the position needed for the Uchiha clan to be able to gather all the necessary information, the things they were best kept away from. At last their rise to power would be complete. At very long last they would be able to gain control.

Itachi could remember how very adamant his father had been about the importance of these things. He always had been. Yes, Itachi was his tool of greatness, the child he had raised from whelp to adult in the fires of combat. Itachi knew everything now. The way of the shinobi was ingrained in his mind like the laws of the universe. He took human life without a qualm, flew through missions no matter how dangerous without so much as a scratch, devised flawless plots while at the same time he could see through the most intricate battle strategies of an opponent. He was the perfect tool- His father had seen to that. And now there was only one thing standing between the Uchiha clan and complete domination.

This one last mission. /But Itachi's mind was far from his duty at this very moment./

He was stuck, locked inside his own memory- The flashbacks of watching the shinobi wars happen right before his eyes. The frightening feeling in the back of his mind that remained ever constant: You may die tonight. He could recall wondering every night if it would be the night the village fell to ruin and all the members were made prisoners, tortured, broken, and killed.

Itachi remembered how strong his father seemed back then- A warrior that was nowhere near flawless, but much closer than all the men that never came home. And Mikoto- She took care of all the Uchiha shinobi that had been injured, holding the fort like the strong queen that she truly was. She kept even the shinobi whose mind had begun to slip into madness at ease. Itachi could even find the night of the Kyuubi attack deep inside his memory banks. He was all alone ((but not really.)) Hidden in a safe place, with his younger brother held in his arms; How Sasuke cried that night. The sounds, like earthquakes, rattling, the ground vibrating fiercely as walls and ceilings crumbled- It was the fox's great tails pounding the ground in blood lusting rage. The wails, Kami, the wails of agony as one shinobi after another were slaughtered- That mixed with the sound of the foxes feral noises, the roaring and growling, sounds no normal fox made.

Every little shift sent Sasuke into another bout of sobbing, but the elder brother held the tiny bundle near, gently shushing him, and whispering endless strings of promises to always protect him. At last the wide eyed infant finally quieted himself, clinging to the sound of his older brother's voice.

And how very frightening the silence was above all else. Waking up after having managed to doze off, despite the beast waiting just outside the shelter, Sasuke still cozy in his brother's arms, asleep as well after exhausting himself in his fear- It was a haunting feeling, looking around, now hearing nothing but the sound of crickets chirping and frogs singing into the peaceful air of the early morning.

Thinking: Are we the only ones still alive?

/Waiting/ For somebody to come back for the two hidden Uchiha children.

"..Itachi.."

Red eyes flashed up at the sound of his own name, snapping out of the flashback, and coming to attention. It was one of his team mates, another waiting in position just as he himself was. "Hai?"

"I hear something."

Itachi's head tilted upward as he listened, nodding as he to picked up the subtle noise of their allies returning. The only reason they were even making a sound was to let the rest of the squad know it was them. "It's Ro, and Shisui."

Itachi looked from his unnerved ally to the squad leader, receiving a nod to acknowledge that he was correct. Instantly the nervous shinobi at Itachi's side heaved a shaky sigh, and smiled.

"Just relax, Kosu." The white headed squad leader spoke up as the tense boy next to Itachi nodded, pushing his glasses up with a nervous grin.

The three sat waiting: Keiji, Kosu and Itachi, waiting for the two scouts they had sent out to return and report so the mission could finally be taken into true action. Keiji, the squad leader, sat silent, brushing his white hair back from his face ever so often, eyeing the shaking member of the team with arrogant grayish optics. He probably didn't realize he was causing Kosu to tremble in his armor that much worse.

The Uchiha heir's red eyes glanced over at tiny Kosu, masked in ever-present apathy. "You can stay close to me, Kosu."

The smaller male shrugged, running his fingers through his short black hair, and staring back at Itachi through his thick frames. "Nahh, don't worry about it, Itachi.. I'll be fine."

Always trying to seem brave- The tiny fool, he was such a coward. Watching after him was so much like having another younger brother to look after. Itachi tried to pay him no mind.

At last Shisui and Ro landed back on ground level amongst the other three shinobi, returning with reports concerning enemy movements. Keiji stood, facing Shisui, who had led the scouting trip. "So?" Keiji spoke.

"Two." Shisui stated plainly.

"Um.." Ro stuttered, interrupting her scouting partner, and Shisui rolled his crimson eyes.

"Ro said she saw another.. She thinks there may be three."

Keiji just shrugged Ro's claims off. "Ro, we sent you to disguise chakra signals. Shisui would have detected another, had it been there. I trust his vision." He paused, turning his silvery eyes back to the older Uchiha in his company. "So, you weren't detected, then?"

Shisui shook his head. "No, Ro did her job well enough... Though she thinks the third shinobi she saw spotted us... Because, apparently... He was watching us.." Shisui gave Ro a playful look, and she elbowed him with a grunt.

Those two never could be serious, at least not when working together. And yet, their scouting jobs had always been flawless. Itachi was just hoping they didn't screw it up this time.

"Tch-" Keiji shook his head at the duo. "Don't you two take anything seriously?" His gray eyes scanned up to the lowest tree branches, planning where he wanted to begin his path that led into attack position. "So what information did you gather, Shisui?"

"One of the guys is really big, huge, a beast. He doesn't seem to have any weapons in tow other than a large sword... The other is smaller. No obvious weapons- I wasn't really able to figure out who he was or what sort of fighter he is.."

Keiji nodded, then jumped up into the trees. "Alright then, assume formation, and move.."

Ro followed directly after Keiji, her strawberry blonde hair whipping in the breeze, and Shisui watched her movements closely with a smile before he shifted his red eyes to Itachi. "Got my back, junior?"

"Your's and everybody else's." The heir retorted, though his words drew forth a groan from the smallest member of the squad, Kosu, because the young member knew Itachi was speaking of him in that demeaning tone. Shisui just laughed as he followed after Ro.

Itachi looked down at short little Kosu. "Your alright?" The boy nodded, and jumped into the trees as Itachi did, sticking very closely behind the Uchiha heir.

The group followed in order behind their leader, heeding his orders because of the trust they each had concerning his strategic talents. They trailed silently along the set path, descending onto the camp that had been set up by the two rogue ninja they were set to kill. They found these two shinobi, unfortunately, wide awake, and ready for a fight, knowing. Instantly Keiji's silver eyes turned scornfully to Ro, though she didn't have time to curl into herself in shame.

/A failure/

The larger of the two shinobi laughed, and he watched the five Konoha ninja encircle him with the intent to kill. Shisui hadn't lied, the man was a monster of a human being, probably standing over seven feet tall, with bulging muscles that border-lined abnormal. Itachi deducted that the man probably relied on some chemical fix to keep him at such a heightened point of size and strength. This matter was mostly irrelevant, though it couldn't be said for sure if this shinobi intended on pulling out other similar weapons such as foodpills, or some concoction unknown to the Leaf Village.

The other shinobi wasn't seen for the most part- Firstly because he was cloaked pretty heavily, secondly because he had hidden himself behind his larger partner, and thirdly because, spying an opening, he bolted off into the woods.

"Damn it!" Keiji cursed. "The rest of you take this guy out, I'll chase that one down."

"Wait!" Itachi called out to Keiji, but the leader didn't listen. Keiji had no idea what he may have been running into. These two may have set traps out there, and just because the one that was fleeing was tiny, that didn't mean he wasn't even more skilled than his brute of a partner.

The large shinobi the other four now were facing drew his large bladed weapon. It was a double ended sword which was held in the middle, and the beast twirled the massive metallic object as if it were the lightest, most maneuverable piece of equipment known to man. Then, in a quick flash the monster jumped up, fleeing into the trees, though not very far. He climbed to a suitable position, tailed by the four Konona ninja, and threw his weapon, and the thing twirled like a bladed boomerang toward the squad of ninja. Shisui's eyes caught sight of the oncoming danger very quickly, and he jumped out of the way, though his sights trailed in a flash to Ro, who was standing erect, staring, not sure what path the blade would take.

"Ro!" Shisui called out, and Itachi glanced over, having already repositioned so that he was out of the blade's path with Kosu closely in tow.

The young Uchiha looked down to see his close friend, and cousin fleeting back into the flight path of the blade, in an attempt to get Ro out of the way. He pounced the girl barely just in time, though Itachi heard them both cry out. He jumped down from his own shelter, thinking Kosu was following.

Running up to Shisui and Ro as they pulled themselves off the ground he soon found out what their cries had been. Both of them had gotten gashed on their arms fairly deeply, though nothing yet to worry about.

"You're a couple of fools." Itachi spoke.

"It's coming back, we have to move." Shisui said as he pulled himself together, and bolted for cover, following behind his femme counterpart. Itachi looked around, his crimson orbs hunting for Kosu, who he now couldn't spot. "Where's Kosu?"

The teenage boy tailed his friends, still nervously looking around for his sharingan-less teammate. The three of them ducked into cover until they noticed the twirling blade slow enough to at long last get lodged in a nearby tree. There they waited until the owner of the weapon came to retrieve the blade. Ro kept their signals well covered as they sat, patient, wanting the best opportunity to strike.

The brute came into visual, oblivious to their presence. He probably figured the shinobi had been cut down along with various trees and shrubbery that now littered the ground.

They were practically counting down the seconds until they launched an attack, but then the lone Kosu appeared out of nowhere at the monster's rear, launching his own attack, blade in hand, reading to stab the brute to death. Itachi felt a gasp get caught in his throat, and he jumped from cover despite the hushed complaints of his other two teammates, rushing in to aid Kosu, though the surprisingly swift beast had already spun himself around, parrying the sword-blow, and catching tiny Kosu by the arms.

"Such a small shinobi they sent to fight me... It must have been somebodies sick joke... A joke, on you, in any case.."

He laughed and he began to tug at Kosu's arms, sending the small-fry into panicked, and pained screaming terror. Before Itachi even made it close enough, Kosu was wailing out in such a way- It was such a disturbingly horrid noise, no shinobi could ever forget it, and it was all because the immense strength of that beast had worked in moments, ripping fragile Kosu apart, tearing his arms directly from the sockets, and then he was tossed aside like he was nothing. Itachi tore away from his attack path, and leapt to catch Kosu as he flew through the air, saving the injured boy from even more pain as he collided with the harsh, unforgiving ground.

No. Kosu was given one last sweet comfort of a compassionate comrades arms.

"..Kosu.."

"Uggn... Ita-...Itachi..."

Itachi looked down upon his ally, who was quickly bleeding to death in his arms. There was nothing to be done, no way to save the small boy, and yet, somehow, Kosu was smiling. Crimson eyes flashed from the broken glasses a few feet away, back down to the body in his arms, the body which was soaking Itachi in all of its remaining blood.

"I just... I wanted to s-stop... being a coward... I wanted to stop letting everybody else handle things for me..."

Itachi nodded. "I understand..."

The boy in Itachi's arms tensed, his body shuddering in the grips of death, and Kosu gasped for air, falling very swiftly into lifelessness. "..Yes.." Itachi spoke softly. "You were brave, Kosu.."

Letting the corpse drop from his grasp, Itachi took a deep breath, falling very still, and then he jerked his head to the side, looking back at where the monster was standing. He was watching now, amused at the demise he had caused. He had killed a boy that hadn't even made it to his teenage years, and he was laughing now- Laughing.

/Justice/ -You know when something is absolutely- /Wrong/

Slowly, fluidly, Itachi came to his feet, graceful in his movements as he spun on heel, and walked toward the monstrous excuse for a man. The young shinobi had his eyes closed, hidden beneath pale lids, and doll-like lashes, and the obsidian bangs that fell over his forehead. He continued forward, slow, steady steps, zombie-like, hypnotized, it seemed, until he stood directly in front of the cackling brute. He was as still as the morning as he allowed himself to be grabbed up, locked in the clutches of the beast, but though his mind seemed so very distant, he was listening intently to the words the monster spoke.

"Another little fool? How then should I waste you? ...perhaps I should crush your ribcage and everything held within."

"No." The young boy spoke calmly.

"No..? You mean you don't like that idea? Then how would you prefer to die?"

Itachi's flaring red eyes snapped open, connecting with the optics of the beast who held him in his grasp, and it was right then that the monster was beaten. He was trapped within now, and there he remained, staring, his body jolting as if it wished to turn away, but it could not. It was a few moments before Itachi dropped from his grasp, and the brute fell over, writhing, and drowning in his own bile as his body convulsed in sheer agony.

/A killer/

-They crowd around you-

((Celebrate more death and mourn for none))

"...nngggaaah!"

Another scream, another disbelievingly terrified scream ripping from vocal chords, the kind no human being makes until they are at the bitter end, clinging with grimy fingers to life that is inevitably slipping harshly away. Two sets of sharingan and one plain set of human eyes stared off in the direction, but it was Shisui who spoke up first. "Keiji! That was Keiji!"

"We have to go!" Ro quickly bolted toward the scream, already dissatisfied with her less-than-perfect-job at chakra concealing, and having to be rescued, AND the fact that one teammate was dead now. She knew the loss of the squad leader would be a terrible calamity, and that was why she put her young heart into her job now.

Shisui moved to follow behind the kunoichi in a flash, but he noticed his younger cousin not moving from his crouched position, and took a moment to check up on Itachi. "You okay, kid?"

"Hmm..?"

"Itachi.. Come on.. There was nothing you could do to save Kosu, he acted of his own accord."

"I know."

"You didn't overdo it with your sharingan on that guy, did you?"

"No."

"Well, come on then, hurry."

"Yeah."

Shisui took off, putting all his force behind his long legs in order to catch up to his female teammate. She didn't have the aid of an all-seeing eye, so he wanted to be sure he kept close to her. Itachi rose as calmly and as gracefully as flowing water, then ran up to Shisui's side, following along.

It didn't take long before they were trailing behind Ro by just a few feet- The girl was really determined, and that was why she stayed ahead, even by a short distance. But Shisui was nervous about letting her run ahead, and for good reason. Honestly, a sharingan user was more fit to be in front, and he proved his point over and over again.

At last the distressed Keiji came into visual, and Ro called his name out loud with an extra burst of speed, fretting at the sight of him now- He appeared to be immensely cut up, and tied high to a tree trunk, where he remained, screaming out in terrible pain. To Ro's eyes, though, the source of his pain was unknown, and all she thought was to rescue Keiji. Shisui, though, saw just a bit more- Chakra wires; An entire net of them, twisting in and out of the branches, with their holder nowhere to be seen. He was fishing, fishing for Konoha shinobi, and if any of the young ninja ran into those wires they would be caught up in a deadly trap.

The missing nin must not have counted on his enemies having sharingan, however. /Advantage./

Keiji's cries were getting worse, and the frantic aura around every team member only increased. Shisui struggled to catch up to Ro, who was running with dedicated fury- Though she was running right for a net of chakra wires. But, needing to do something so strongly that there was no other way, Shisui forced another burst of speed from his being, and caught up to Ro, grabbing onto her, and halting her just before they collided with the wire-net.

Then, as if by some mystical power of enlightenment, a large beetle flew into the wires, and was captured, quickly tightened up within the trap, and squeezed until the wires cut the insect into little pieces. It was right then that Ro was extremely grateful for her partner's constant guard over her. She sighed, and thanked Shisui, though she could not allow herself to be relieved. No, this was because now all three remaining members realized what was happening to Keiji, and though sharingan eyes desperately searched for an opening in order to rescue their leader, it was too late.

The wires tightened around Keiji, and he wailed out helplessly, though as the seconds ticked by his piercing cries became more and more strangled, until the lines of chakra simply cut straight through the flesh of his neck, and his head fell from the tree, and rolled grotesquely along the forest floor, falling just so that those lifeless gray eyes accusingly stared at the teammates who failed to save their leader.

Ro turned her head from the visual, leaving only the two Uchiha staring at the brutal death that had occurred. Shisui's eyes lingered with Keiji's blank face, and detached head for the longest, because Itachi quickly started to think around the tragedy, and back to the mission. Find that other shinobi, and terminate him- That's what was on his mind. The young heir was staring with luminous ruby red pools, up into the trees, trying to follow those strings, and find the ninja pulling them.

"You three are all going to die out here.." Echoing from the tree tops came a voice. All three leaf ninja shifted into fighting stances at the sound of it.

"Two of you, I'm going to slaughter as quickly as I can.."

There was a pause, and a certain tenseness slipped in amongst the group of ninja. It was caused by the uncertainty of what would happen next- What was this guy planning?

"But, the one that killed my partner- And I know who you are -I'm going to keep you, and play with you for a while, savoring your cries of pain!"

Shisui's eyes narrowed as he glanced back at the younger Uchiha. Of course Itachi was unfazed by such a threat. Yes, he still stood perfectly still, and relaxed in his position. A moment of silence passed between the three shinobi, and then that awkwardness that came from there being no immediate orders settled in. The leader was gone, so now these three were left wondering who was taking over from here.

"Ro, I want you to get cover somewhere.. Conceal your chakra signal.. You can't see the enemies weapon as well as Itachi and myself, so just stay out of this one.." Shisui took lead, at last, and his first move as leader was to try and save his remaining members. It was a logical move- Ro would be fighting this battle blindly, and it was too easy for her to end up dead now. She knew that her backing out of this fight was a good call to, but she still huffed as if insulted before falling back to safety and finding a place to hide out.

"Alright Itachi.. He wants you; you know what that means."

Itachi sighed. "..Yeah.."

The two Uchiha turned to lock eyes, staying perfectly still as they stared at one another, sharingan connected to sharingan, passing the plan between the two of them in complete secrecy.

"Move." Shisui spoke at last, and he bolted up into the trees, dodging the wires with unique grace. The younger Uchiha did just the same, though he moved off in the opposite direction, getting as much ground as he needed before he stopped dead still and listened.

He could still hear Shisui, jumping from tree to tree, then nothing for a moment but the utter stillness of the forest, a jolt of the wires, and a scream. The same kind of scream that was emitted from Keiji's vocal chords as he was choked and finally killed. Itachi nodded to himself before crouching on the branch he was perched on and carefully he reached a spindly finger out, and flicked one of the wires.

The reaction was instantaneous- Before he could even blink the surrounding strings shifted, and he was captured within, bound to the tree trunk. Trapped. He tried to shift a bit, seeing as being tied down by chakra wires was a bit uncomfortable, but that plan of action was quickly abandoned, because the binding only tightened as he tried to move. So instead he just remained in silence, not moving at all- He even calmed his breathing as much as he could.

It took a minute or so, but finally the owner of the strings revealed himself. He seemed young, probably the same age as Itachi, if not younger, though the Uchiha was judging on the boy's face and general size alone. He was extremely youthful, with vibrant green eyes, and black hair to his shoulders. Itachi didn't take much time to study the kid, however, he was only looking to be able to lock eyes with him, and drop him as quickly as he had the brute with the huge blade. That moment of connection did not come, though, to Itachi's great displeasure, and the other boy laughed.

"An Uchiha. Don't get your hopes up, I'm not foolish enough to get caught up in those sharingan eyes of yours."

He laughed triumphantly, and Itachi merely glared, giving no other response as the young boy opposing him reached out and clasped him by the chin, studying his features, but never looking him in the eye. This kid had really long nails, regretfully, and they felt most uncomfortable as they dug against the skin of the Uchiha heirs face.

"You seem rather calm. Your clan must breed ideal shinobi.. I will admit, you and that other Uchiha were a lot harder to capture than your teammate, but.. You're still only human.. All humans get careless.."

Itachi smiled slightly to himself; He smiled a chilling smile he only put on when he knew something somebody else did not. "That's right."

The boy toying with Itachi gasped at those words, knowingly, but it was too late. A sword had already punctured him from behind, and jabbed all the way into the tree, just above Itachi's head. His body trembled, and he looked down at the blade that had impaled him, blood already dripping down his chin. The moment of surprised was short lived, though, because with a hammer of Shisui's palm against the hilt of the blade the sword was knocked even further upward, slicing open the young missing nin, and disemboweling him with great ease. His body when slack, and his knees buckled beneath him, letting is weight drift downward, driving him against the blade so that it cut up further, only getting lodged in the bone of his chest, and at that point his corpse slid to press against Itachi who was still tangled slightly.

"Sorry, kid." Shisui withdrew the sword with a tug, and kicked the corpse to the side so Itachi could get up as the wires mostly diminished. The younger Uchiha was covered in blood- From Kosu and now from the missing nin as well.

"..I hate being the decoy.." Itachi spoke as he lifted himself to his feet. His elder cousin just smiled softly at him.

"Don't worry about it... Mission complete."

"..Shisui.."

"..Hm..?"

"..You're a pretty good leader."

"Thanks."

((That missing nin had been right. Your clan really does breed ideal shinobi.))

The two Uchiha gathered themselves, surrounded in the sudden surge of power that came with their victory. /Pride/ Quickly the two shinobi heightened their group count back to three by finding Ro who had been concealed. Then again, Itachi wasn't very sure why they didn't just let her hang out in the forest all alone- She was no help at all disposing of the bodies. She turned her nose up at the sight of dead things, while Shisui and Itachi just did their job without her, wanting to be done with this less-than-perfect mission, and get back home.

Home- It was something the three shinobi approached rapidly once they finally got on their way back. Of course, despite Shisui's new lead, Ro still jumped ahead unnecessarily. She must have been just as excited at the prospects of being back inside Konoha city walls as her teammates were. This time, however, her eternal guardian was not paying so much attention, because he was under the assumption that the danger was over.

-He was wrong.-

Up ahead Ro halted dead still in her footsteps- It was eerie how it happened. One moment she was running full speed, and the next she was still as a wild animal that just caught wind of a hunter. Itachi had noticed already from a good distance away that something was wrong, but Shisui didn't realize his girlfriend had been captured in somebodies trap until she started yelling as if somebody was killing her were she stood.

"..What?..Ro!" The elder Uchiha called out, instantly fearful for Ro's safety, and again that extra burst of speed consumed him. He was running right into the same trap, however, and Itachi was the only one clear-headed enough to notice that.

"Shisui, stop!"

"I have to help her!"

"You don't know what she is caught in! You'll just run right into the same trap!"

"Shut up, kid! You don't understand!"

Itachi grabbed onto Shisui, tackling him to the ground, and there they landed in a heap, a good twenty feet from where Ro still stood screaming for somebody to help her. Both Uchiha boys looked up from the ground, crimson eyes locked on Ro as she flailed about, unsteady on her feet. Still there was no enemy in sight.

"..Genjutsu.." Itachi spoke, knowingly, though it was already too late to help Ro.

"You! You're the one.. From before-ahhh! Get out...of my head!" The kunoichi yelled helplessly as she tried to escape from her enemies frighteningly powerful hold on her mind. The muscles all up her arms seized as if she were losing control, and in a sudden jerk on movement her fingers curled like talons, and came up to claw at her face. Her fingernails made reddened marks down her cheeks before she fully dug her fingers into her eye sockets, clawing at her eyes before she collapsed on the ground, rolling about in agony.

"No! Ro, no! No!" The older Uchiha flailed, trying to escape so he could rush to save his femme partner, but his cousin's grip on him tightened, holding him down against the ground, and not letting him go any closer.

"Ahhhgggnnn!" The young girl continued to cry out, her pleas unanswered, and her hands still clawed at her face beyond her control, tearing the skin away as something that resembled a burn crawled up her neck. Her wailing gained force and she crawled up onto her hands and knees, no longer writhing, though now she seemed to be choking, and her bloodied hands clasped her neck, fingers wrapping over the twisted burns that were crawling steadily up her delicate flesh, and she gagged, trying to force something out, though nothing came for a minute as she coughed, and heaved, then at last a stream of blood poured out, and she fell over, finally still.

Dead.

The two astounded Uchiha just looked at Ro's corpse in an extended moment of silence, unsure of what to do now. Shisui made the first move, as always, and finally he pushed Itachi off of him.

"R-Ro.." He muttered helplessly, slowly approaching his fallen lover's dead body, with Itachi following along, just at his cousins heels in case they were attacked.

"..Be careful.."

"Did you hear what she said..?"

"..This genjutsu.."

" '..You're the one from before..' "

"I have a bad feeling.."

"She was right all along.."

"..It just seems so much like.."

"I should have listened.."

"..My own sharingan techniques.."

Shisui stopped next to Ro's body, and he stared down at her, though his attention had finally truly snapped to his only remaining teammate. "What did you say, Itachi? ..Sharingan?"

"Yes! That's right!" Spoke a dark figure that stepped from an area carved out for his concealment. The two Uchiha instinctively flowed into fighting positions upon seeing their new adversary. They both stared, not really knowing what to think, as they eyed this man- He was dressed from head to toe in raven black. His body was wrapped in abysmal hue, all the way down to his fingers which were each concealed in deep ebony leather, and he even wore a bit of armor that glittered glossy obsidian in the twinkle of the moon in this clearing. And to complete his unreal shadow-like appearance, the billow of a dark cloak revealed itself as it fluttered in the slight breeze of the night. He was practically -one with- the night's darkness. The only color etched into his appearance was the slight glow coming from his eyes- A demonic red.

"..It was sharingan.." The dark creature spoke up.

"I thought as much." Itachi's voice echoed low to his teammate; His teammate who, he had noticed, had his own sharingan activated and fiercely ready to go head to head, or rather, eye to eye with this new barrier in their pathway.

"Who are you..?" Called the younger teammate to the sharingan user opposing them.

"I really don't think that information will matter..,"Spoke the stranger. Itachi narrowed his eyes to this response.

"Are you an Uchiha..? Or did you come upon those eyes cheaply?" Shisui had decided it was his turn to try and question the murderer who had just killed Ro. The man merely laughed at the question, however. "You tell me, boy, judging from what happened to your little friend, do I use these eyes like a true Uchiha?"

Shisui glared daggers at the man's coy remark. How could he speak so light-heartedly concerning such a dark matter as murder? How dare he speak so lowly of Ro. How DARE he act like this was nothing! The older of the two Leaf shinobi took a step forward, as if he intended to charge right at this man, but Itachi held him back at the last moment, and seeing this loss of restraint, the dark character just laughed again.

"Would you like to try your eyes against mine?" Cackled the vile man to the angered Shisui.

"Shisui, don't..," Itachi butted in, though he knew his hot headed cousin wasn't going to waver in this challenge. If he could convince him otherwise, though, he would do so, no question. Going up against another sharingan when you had no idea of their skill level was utter foolishness. Shisui was taking this man up, and going on guts alone.

There was no stopping it though- Shisui had already locked his fiery red eyes with the deep blood-red ones of his opponent, and the stand off had begun. Immediately Itachi thought to end it, if he could, by taking advantage of his opponent, who seemed to have left himself open, due to his concentration. Reaching into the weapon packs at his hips, Itachi brought out three shuriken in each hand, holding the tools between his dainty fingers before he sent them flying at the one opposing him. Surprisingly, however, the man's hand deftly drew a kunai from an unknown, and unseen holster, and with it he blocked all six of the bladed stars that had come at him in a flash of sharpened silvery steel.

"Don't think for a minute I would do anything to leave myself open to attack.. I didn't forget about you, so don't linger on that notion... But don't worry.. I'll be done with this soon.. You'll have your turn."

For whatever reason, just the thought of this man being able to fully concentrate on high level sharingan-based genjutsu, and block shuriken, and speak chilling threats all at once made the young heir's blood run cold. Itachi was starting to be able to somewhat measure his skill just based on these facts, and according to what he had deducted so far, this fight didn't appear to bode well for he and his older cousin.

Still, though, he watched Shisui begin to struggle- A few tiny beads of sweat had appeared on the older boy's brow, and the one opposing Shisui had let his head begin to tilt just a slight degree to the side. The act was almost as disturbing as watching Ro's death had been. After a few minutes of deep concentration, Shisui's arms came up, and he made a strange gesture- He seemed as if he was trying to push something away, and his muscles were visibly straining as if this heavy load truly existed.

This was it- Shisui was losing this battle, he was losing it badly. Actually, the other man just seemed to be playing with him. The heir's older cousin was fading fast, and at the point that it was incredibly obvious he would be killed if he could not escape, Itachi made it a point to interfere, and he disrupted his partners chakra flow in order to release him. Shisui immediately collapsed as he was set free from the death squeeze of the opposing man's genjutsu, and swiftly Itachi moved to break his friends fall with forgiving arms- Though, he still wasn't sure he wished to forgive Shisui for this foolish head-on battle he jumped into, and lost by miles.

"What a disappointment. And now there is only you left. I doubt you'll be any more of a challenge- You're obviously younger and even more inexperienced than your friend, there."

Itachi looked down at Shisui as he double-checked his cousin's vital signs, silent, deducting, trying to find the best plan of action in his head. At last he spoke. "Perhaps not. But I suppose you'll have to see what I can do before you can judge that logically."

The man smirked, blazing red eyes staring almost -lustfully- at such a response, though his lust was likely for blood. "You seem to be a bit more on the intelligent side in comparison to your fallen teammate.. What is your name, boy?"

"I asked a similar question, and you told me that such information would not matter. So my name should not matter to you either if you merely intend to kill me." The young Uchiha looked up, bravely meeting his opponent's eyes, though his face was blank, and his body language was unthreatening- He did not wish to fight if it could be avoided.

"I'll humor you then.. Uchiha Madara- That is who I am."

"Uchiha Madara..? ..I have heard such a name spoken.. If you are indeed who you claim to be, then you would be almost a hundred years old, if not older, am I wrong?"

"No, you would be correct, now, if you would please, answer my question. You are?"

"..I am Uchiha Itachi, heir of the Uchiha.."

"..Is that so..?" He paused, glancing off to the side with that same vile smirk still printed on his face- He seemed to be contemplating something; It provoked a hint of curiosity from the young Konoha shinobi. But it was not long before the dark stranger spoke again. "Then.. As it is.. You have no room to leave me unimpressed."

And with just the slightest flinch the older man disappeared from view; Itachi knew better than to think he was gone, no, he was on the offensive now. He most likely intended to kill the young heir if it was possible. A nimble finger hooked in the ringed handle of a kunai, and jerked it from the holster just as the older Uchiha reappeared in a thin ring of tar-colored smoke, hovering just above, and inches in front of the young shinobi. He spun into a merciless kick which Itachi moved without hesitation to block, and in that same moment the youth stabbed the kunai forward, though his opponent flipped away, and landed, dodging the blow successfully. Undeterred, the Leaf shinobi gracefully stepped in time with the supposed Madara's landing, and made to slash the man's throat, though the older nin prevailed easily, leaning back to avoid the blade's strike, and catching Itachi by the wrist, restraining the hand that held the blade.

With one hand being restrained, the young Uchiha quickly balled his other hand into a tight fist, and delivered a swift punch to the jaw of the older ninja who was holding onto him, repeating this action each time the elder whipped his head back forward. After three blows the one who claimed to be Uchiha Madara did not face forward again for a moment, and in that spare second Itachi glanced over, studying the crimson wetness that had coated his knuckles. He had made this man bleed already? So easily

Something wasn't right about that. Flashing back up his eyes met with the crazed sharingan of his opponent and the man snapped his head back forward at last, grinning wild, and insane. The elder Uchiha's hand that wasn't being used to hold onto Itachi balled up, and he swung forward, connecting his knuckles with the doll-like face of the younger shinobi.

Itachi's face whipped to the side as he felt his own blood splatter down his chin from the impact of the punch- That minor pain did not distract him, or dishearten him, though. No, his fighting spirit was still intact, and with his bloodied, free hand, he knocked his other arm free, and quickly made to slash at his opponent. Unluckily enough for him, since he hadn't been fully looking where he was aiming, though the sharpened tool connected with his target's body, it struck the man's armor, leaving the hard material gashed, but no obvious injury was inflicted. And the young heir was not the only one who knew immediately what move was best next- As soon as he freed his more dangerous hand, and made to cut his opponent, the other man spun out of the blade's reach, and connected a hard blow to the back of the young shinobi's neck in this process, sending Itachi quickly to the ground.

The boy still did not give up- Because giving up meant resigning himself to death, at this point. He watched his opponent stand, still, gazing at him like a predator eyeing his next meal. It was eerie how confident he was. Let him stare in his confidence- Itachi was using every moment wisely. He focused his chakra, then performed the appropriate hand seals with lightning fast dexterity, readying his jutsu before his opponent even knew it was coming, and then..

"Katon Gokakyu no Jutsu."

He unleashed the most massive fiery sphere he had ever drawn forth from within, and in the blaze his enemy disappeared, consumed by the immense and brilliant heat. But surely he had the foresight to apprehend what was coming, surely he had something ready- He was a sharingan user. He wouldn't be taken so swiftly by such an up-font technique. Red eyes darted to and fro, searching for the man's reappearance, though when he did come, it was not as the younger shinobi had expected.

Through the inferno wall, that demon made himself known, dashing like a hellish mirage, surrounded in a smoky black aura, and within seconds he was practically on top of the Konoha nin. Itachi threw one punch, and then another with his other arm as his opponent came into his range, but his blows were blocked, and his arms were captured, and a knee was lifted to push against his chest.

"Fire..?" The man spoke as if he were amused, but his tone was tainted utterly with malice. "You only think you wield the flame.. But I.." He continued to speak, growing louder, and more insane with each word, though at best he pushed the Uchiha heir back, and caused him to stumble a bit. Itachi quickly regained his balance, eyes set on the unpredictable man before him.

"I was practically born of fire!" He stated this claim in a most psychotic tone before his voice handed over control to maniacal laughter. Itachi had no time to pay attention to that- For whatever reason the ground beneath his feet and all around him was shaking, cracking, and then at last it split wide open, and walls of hell fire were spat up from the bowels of the planet.

His eyes bolted about wildly as the man laughing disappeared without a trace, leaving the heir locked inside this cage from other worlds. The young shinobi panted, not quite sure of his pathetic plan for escape, and his most uncertain fate, but not wanting to waste precious seconds in dim witted contemplation, he rushed over to his unconscious friend, and lifted the older shinobi up onto his back. He hurriedly bolted toward a quickly disintegrating thicket, leaping up into the highest tree, scaling it as though his life depended on it, since it very well may have. Considering how rapidly the walls of fire were closing in, spinning round and round, and threatening to consume the two boys, doubting they would make it out of this alive was a very understandable reaction. But with a leap of faith Itachi managed to make it over the fire just as it was coming to roast him alive, though he had already counted on the fall which followed to be just as near-fatal as the fire itself. The unselfish Uchiha spun in the air, switching the position in which his teammate was placed, so that Shisui wouldn't absorb any of the impact from the fall. Instead Itachi ended up landing on his back, with his cousin directly on top of him. The impact pounded the breath from his lungs, as did the pressure of Shisui on top of him, and between the merciless dirt, and his cousin's body mass, he could feel an uncertain amount of his ribs shatter. He was thankful, slightly, at least- it could have been much worse.

From the rough soil, he picked himself up to his knees, coughing and gasping, and with an arm wrapped around his chest as it surged with brutal pain. His partner was laid back on the ground, and knowing the fight was not yet over, Itachi found it inside himself to crawl back to his feet.

"Oh? You managed to escape, and save your friend as well! ..I'm impressed."

Itachi shifted his gaze, and glared most fiercely as he caught the sound of his opponent's mocking voice. He stood as tall and threatening as he could, though his pain from broken bones was incredibly obvious. This only drew forth a bout of laughter from the enemy.

"..But saving that fool came at a price, didn't it? You've only made it harder on yourself by allowing injury to occur in order to keep your friend safe.. You should have let him die in the fire."

Determined not to look weak, Itachi shifted back into a fighting stance, ignoring the pain he felt, for now. But with a shake of the head, and a second's worth of lightning-fast movement, the demonic man was right in front of the younger Uchiha's face yet again, spinning into a kick which was strategically placed to strike the younger boy in the chest, and strike it did. Itachi was sent rolling backward against the ground, though he quickly pulled himself back up to his knees. This time he could barely catch his breath, because trying to breathe was difficult when a rush of blood blocked up your throat. He coughed, choking up the crimson plasma before he gasped for air.

That man- He was waiting, letting Itachi get back to his feet, just so he could knock the boy back down again. He was playing with Itachi, beating him for the amusement of it.

The boy's crimson glare intensified, fully fledged sharingan whirling dangerously, and despite the odds, he climbed to his feet once more, wiping the blood from his face before he clasped the hilts the two swords on his back, unsheathing them and twirling them threateningly between his dainty fingers.

His enemy laughed softly in his throat, and arched a single brow, curious and amused, but he saw it fit to humor the Konoha shinobi, so he drew his own single sword that had been strapped to his hip. "This is how you want it, then? ..Alright, let's see what you've got."

They stared at one another for an extended moment- Tense, and yet, both so relaxed. The older man had no fear from the young shinobi, and Itachi had just.. Let go. He let go of everything. He wasn't afraid to die. Death was only part of life as he knew it, though his instincts told him to survive. He had much to live for, but for now, he thought of none of that. He didn't let any of that cloud his judgement now, for that would handicap his mind, and cause him fatal mistakes. He took a breath, at one with everything around him. That was it, he would flow in the grasp of the air around him, because he was part of it. But this man standing against him, he didn't belong in this world, and so.. Itachi would take him out of it.

All at once the eerie stillness erupted into a surge of sound and fierce movement, Itachi came forward, lunging at his opponent, striking at him with both blades, with everything he had. One sword was brought down, only to meet with the blade his opponent was wielding, but quick, and maneuverable in wit and body, he spun round, seeking to connect the blade in his other hand with his opponents side, while making his opponent think he had an opportunity to strike his back. The older shinobi saw through this, moving just as fluidly as Itachi was, and his sword came to block the one at his side.

The second sword the young Uchiha was wielding came up so that both swords pushed against the other man's one for a moment, but with it clear Itachi couldn't overpower him with strength alone, he drew one arm back while his other blade held his opponent in place, and attempted to strike again. Tactically defeated, Itachi felt the other man push against the blade he had left up in his defense just before blocking the boy's attempted strike. In the push the heir stumbled back a bit, giving his opponent the upper hand for just a moment as he got his footing. At the opportunity, the man brought his blade down to deliver a mortal wound, though his attempt was blocked, and Itachi quickly made for a jab to his opponent's chest. As he had expected, the movement was parried, but it had been just what he wanted- He brought his other sword up, crossing it with the one in his right hand, and locking his opponents blade between the two, he lifted it up, and, in the space available he delivered a kick to his enemies chest, sending him falling back. But just because he had stumbled meant nothing. Following through with his plan of action, Itachi lunged himself forward, drawing both blades up, just to swing them down in an attempt to behead his enemy. Those quickly deducting crimson eyes saw this move before it came, though, and the older ninja arched himself back to dodge the strike, catching the ground with his hands as he brought his lower body up, and, just for payback, it seemed, he kicked the younger male in the chest just as he had done moments before, sending Itachi's barrage of attacks tumbling backwards with the rest of his form.

The boy rolled across the ground, in agony at the blow to his already injured body cavity, but regardless he caught his breath, and got back to his feet. He watched as his opponent smiled at this persistence. Did he enjoy playing with the younger boy? Is that why he seemed so maliciously joyful every time Itachi got back on his feet?

"You do have potential.. I'm surprised to see any true talent still comes from the Uchiha clan, or all of Konoha, for that matter... But there you will never be as immortally powerful as you could be outside of the confines of that place.."

Itachi dropped his guard for only a single second, his attention caught by his opponent's words. "What do you mean?"

"It's the way of your home's system... They focus on producing one generation of shinobi after another, training each person equally, then after they have reached a certain level which is satisfying, the training ends, and focus redirects on newer, younger ninja." The man spoke, his tone tinged with some unknown source of aggravation, but regardless he sheathed his blade, clearly done with fighting for now. It was to be expected that he had more to say, though Itachi wasn't all that interested in listening.

"What is your point?"

The other man shrugged, a coy smirk across his lips as his blood red eyes glistened dangerously. Of course Itachi could not understand his dilemma. "Quantity over quality.. And equality for everybody.. Such nonsense. Only those with a true spark of genius should be allowed to continue to grow, and it shouldn't stop at a mediocre level, but instead the training should continue until the individual is so powerful that... He is practically untouchable."

"You speak as if you could truly comprehend such a concept as leadership."

"Oh, my young heir, you truly are a quick-witted one, but with the claim of my identity- This is a given, is it not?"

"I'm ignorant as to why it would be."

The elder Uchiha glared, insulted slightly, though the blame did not rest on the younger boy's shoulders. Over the years his name had likely been mostly erased from the lips and minds of all Uchiha, and otherwise. "Then perhaps you should do your research."

"The only way to further my knowledge is to kill you." And with that much stated Itachi shifted back into a fighting stance, expecting his enemy to come at him at this invitation.

The one claiming the name of Uchiha Madara held his devilish smirk, and it only intensified with such a threat being thrown his way. But he knew this had to have come from the boy being sure he was here to kill him, though.. As of yet, he wasn't quite sure.

"Not necessarily- But that is the view I would expect from greatness. It is no surprise to me that out of five young shinobi, you are the only one still standing. The others deserved death, that way their genetic flaws can never be passed along. Allowing them to live, and therefor, breed, could later on be the difference between the fall of Konoha, and it remaining strong. Do you understand?"

"What concern is it of yours?"

"None, really. My sights more lie with the greater products of human evolution that will be overlooked, and discarded in time. You deserve better than that."

"Why is it of such an interest? What purpose do -you- have for great shinobi?"

"You may come to know in time. That is, if your greatest flaw doesn't get the best of you."

"What are you talking about?" The young shinobi's battle stance only grew more tense, and his fierce glare evolved so that the boy was bathed in an aura of utter hostility. He was the embodiment of contradiction.

"Powerful though you are, even in the infancy of your training, your views are drastically different from my own. You do value human life, and that much is obvious from the way you mourn the loss of your teammates, from the way you protect your unconscious cousin. Heir to the Uchiha- You either have a hint docility bred into you or you've unconsciously fallen under the spell of that 'Will of Fire' nonsense they teach in Konoha. It hinders your stronger side."

"What's so wrong with not wanting to see the death of a friend?"

"Hmm. Nothing, I suppose, should you realize those friends could have lived if they hadn't been pushed into a life they were not suited for. But you're a child that was born toward the very end of a warring era, aren't you? Having that thrown in your face at such a young age took a toll, I'm sure."

"It's none of your business."

"Oh but it is, especially now. Konoha is in great danger of falling back into war, isn't it? You know, because you were merely born as a tool for war. Your life will escalate to a certain point in which you will be very useful to your clan, and then the rest of your time will be a nonstop war. It is likely you will die in the inadequacy you could not prevent, and all for the hopes of somebody else, for views you obviously disagree on."

"...How do you know that?" The elder's words had only subtly tapped the issue, but Itachi understood it regardless. What he was speaking of, it was supposed to be secret.

"I know many things, Itachi Uchiha. But what I know right now is that we weren't finished in our fight, and as of right now all of my predictions are most uncertain... That is because you may well not survive after tonight..I'm still undecided on if I 'want you' or not... It's been a very long time since I last reared a pupil of my own bloodline."

Itachi was silent then- At last he truly had a clearer idea of this man's intentions. He had some sort of plan in mind for Itachi, but it still weighed heavily on just the young boy's ability to survive. Having never wavered for a moment, Itachi was still ready in stance as the man came forward, approaching without even a weapon in hand, which, in the long run, probably meant something even worse was on his mind.

But the boy didn't really want to wait to find out what this was going to be, so once the fiend was within a fair range, he darted forward, swords swiping mercilessly, aiming with each strike for the kill. But, no matter how quickly the blades came forward, they never met their mark. Itachi made a swipe at the man's gut, but in response he stepped back just enough to dodge the blade, and as the other weapon jabbed forward to pierce his throat he leaned back, just barely avoiding it, but -barely- had been his aim. Fiercely the second sword sliced in a flash to sever the man's head, but he bent forward, taking himself out of the path of the deadly blade once more, and from there he lowered into a crouch, catching yet another swipe from the sword against his armored arm guards, then, with his free hand, he knocked the blade completely from the young Uchiha's grasp, and spun into a kick to sweep the heir from his feet. The demonic man sprung back, landing first on his hands, though his body followed a flawless pattern, and he landed back on his feet.

Itachi knew that fiend was watching as he jumped back to his feet. This man was obviously very skilled, without sharingan, but as a sharingan user he was far more than proficient. He read into Itachi's moves at incomparable speeds. The young heir just hoped he could find that tiny opening in which his opponent would make a mistake. He dashed at the man again, this time with only one sword in hand. He made a swipe at him, which was dodged just as easily as all the ones before, and then he jabbed, but this time not only did the older Uchiha avoid the blow, but he rushed the boy, clasping his wrist, and hammering his other hand down painfully into the crook of the younger boy's elbow. Itachi let out the smallest noise of pain at the surprise attack, and the hand that clasped he sword weakened it's grip, letting the hilt of the blade slide out. This had been the intention of the enemy, and the hand he had used to strike bolted up, and grabbed the sword before it could fall before he spun, knocking Itachi back with his shoulder, and without warning or mercy he stabbed the sword right through the young males abdomen, pinning him to a tree.

The young Uchiha released another sound of agony, this time a bit louder that before, but for the most part he swallowed his suffering, glancing down to inspect the damage that had been done. Delicate fingers reached up to clasp the blade, knowing he could not grip it, or else it could cut clean through his frail digits.

"That hurts, doesn't it? ..But you don't have to worry.. My aim is fairly precise, and it was my intention to drive your little sword through you without hitting anything vital..of course the wound will cause you to bleed to death if you don't get it fixed soon.."

"W-why..? Why aim to not kill me?"

The devilish man smirked, his eyes glowing fiery, demonic crimson, and he stepped slowly closer to the pinned heir. "Because... There is one last thing I want to see." He spoke in a low, fiendish tone, glazed in utter malice, and poisonous intent. Once he was close to the young shinobi, he clasped the boy by his face, pinning his head back against the tree, and forcing him to look up. Itachi knew by this gesture what the man wanted, and with little choice, he merely gave it to him.

"I want to see the power... Of those sharingan eyes you possess.."

The devil was judging Itachi, sizing him up as a ninja. What he was, and what he could be, and this was the very last thing he wanted to find out. Had Itachi been bred for strength concerning the Uchiha bloodline limit, or was he just another failure of a flawed system?

The two Uchiha locked eyes, though the beaten, and quickly weakening heir was little match in this battle now. It didn't matter- The enemy had already mostly made his choice. He was only looking for the potential now. A moment passed in utter stillness, and at last Itachi was released. He was barely able to keep himself upright anymore, but he still managed to look up at the man who had captured him.

Extending only the slightest graciousness of mercy, the foe sharply tugged the blade out, freeing the young boy. Itachi instantly collapsed to his knees, clasping a hand over his injury as he stared at the man. But, without another word the devil turned tail, and disappeared into the night.

/Persist/

((But your convictions falter. Your thoughts are wandering.))

-Not only did he win. He got to you.-

((And you know, when the time is right..))

-He will..-

/Return/

Just moving and breathing and thinking were struggles all their own, but now the heir had to make it back to his home. Never absent of mind, he gathered his blades, even the one that had been used to skewer him, and he lifted his still unconscious friend onto his back, continuing on, fighting an all new battle now; Getting back to Konoha.

/Decide/

((What do you believe in?))

-What do you know is right?-

/Choice/

**:::**  
TBC  
**:::**


	3. Chapter 3

_Keep you doped with religion, and sex, and TV  
__And you think your so clever, and classless, and free  
__But your still fucking peasants as far as I can see  
__A working class hero is something to be  
__A working class hero is something to be_

–

"Remember, Itachi, it is of vital importance that your are accepted into ANBU. You will be the one to uncover all the secrets this clan needs to finally rise to power... The power we deserve."

"I understand, Tousan. Make no mistake, my mission was accomplished as flawlessly as possible under the conditions."

"Hmm... Yes. The shinobi chosen to lead that mission had been a descendent of the family Senju. I am not surprised by this fact. Had these decisions not been made with such discrimination, then I'm sure three different families would not be mourning their losses now. This is just another reason that the flawed system needs a change, once and for all."

"Hai, Tousan."

"But.. I am at least hopeful. Your cousin, Shisui, also managed to pull through the mission. Perhaps he will be allowed into the ANBU as well."

"As distrusted as our clan is, Tou-san, I highly doubt it."

"Hai. I suppose we can only wait and see."

((Some part of you still agrees with your father, though another side desperately wishes there was another way to resolve these issues.))

/Duty/

-You come to them now as their enemy. And they know it, don't they?-

Fugaku was so dependant on this moment, right now. But he had faith didn't he? He had sculpted his son from the time Itachi was old enough to walk and talk to be the perfect tool, the perfect puppet. He taught the boy everything; Made him into a flawless warrior. The only thing he had failed at was to make Itachi -want- the same things he, himself, wanted. And at that, Fugaku was suffering his greatest failure; His greatest mishap. Or at least, that was what the heart of the young heir seemed to be saying as it beat strongly in the boy's chest. It was thumping hard and fast now. He wasn't nervous, just so very unsure. Perhaps his heart beat extra fast, thinking it soon may be stopped. One thing was for sure- The hokage, the elders, not even Danzo made Itachi nervous.

He was young and respectful, and without an ounce of pride he could claim he had no reason to be afraid. He would do now only what he had to, and that was how he lived his life. Kneeling before this council, waiting for his fate to be decided, he was utterly sure of himself.

((Though he didn't know if he -wanted- to be.))

The young Uchiha heir glanced over at Shisui for just a moment. Itachi could tell he was nervous about this. The entire idea of the approaching struggle hammered his nerves, but perhaps he was also a bit too excited. He wanted this takeover to succeed with all his heart- He loved his family. He was a proud Uchiha. He was a stupendous warrior, but perhaps a bit overzealous. His anxiety was subtle, nonetheless. Only the younger Uchiha was able to see it, because he knew Shisui far too well.

"..So it is. Only the two Uchiha members came out of this mission successfully." The third spoke blatantly, but plainly. Perhaps bewildered, but the man was far too pure and righteous to find any mischief in the fated happenings.

"Something seems a bit off about that, if you ask me." Another one of the council members spoke up. They were much more accusing in their tone.

The council then discussed the two written reports on the mission for a short period, the obvious distrust coating their words. The old hokage was the only one who seemed to wish this decision be made without personal feelings involved. The Uchiha obviously were deserving of higher positions to serve Konoha- Their power was undeniable. The two boys just kept their heads down in respect as their reports were analyzed.

"In the original assignment of the mission, it was stated that there were only two rogue ninjas lingering close to our borders, and yet, in Itachi's report, there is subtle word of a third shinobi, while Shisui did not make note of a third. Why is this?"

The heir could feel Shisui's eyes turn to him in questioning as this matter was mentioned. Itachi had told Shisui he didn't plan on saying anything of the third shinobi that had attacked them since fighting him had not been part of the original mission, and therefor, was of little importance. He knew Shisui wanted those details left out in order to better his chances of getting into the ANBU, but Itachi had other plans. Those included him not deceiving his leaders, and not allowing Shisui any place in ANBU.

((He may have been your best friend, but he did not belong in ANBU.))

-And there is another reason you didn't want him to follow you, isn't there? You just haven't figured it out yet.-

"Shisui, you are dismissed."

He showed no sign of disappointment, though he knew deep inside his heart that he had just lost his chances to become a spy for the clan. It all rested on Itachi's shoulders now. The older of the two bowed one final time to the council assembled, and thanked them respectfully before leaving without another word.

"Now.. Itachi, can you explain to us why Shisui decided to leave out information, or do you know?" This questioning seemed so very accusing, though the words rolled off the council-members tongue plain and simple.

"Hai. It is possible he saw this event as irrelevant to the mission, though I more suspect it was his actions during the mission that encouraged him to withhold information. The third shinobi we encountered was the one who killed our teammate, Ro. And in his anger Shisui acted most irresponsibly, and was unable to match his opponent in the end, leaving me to fight the man alone."

/Betrayel/

((He had wanted this so bad, but you buried him six feet under just now, didn't you?))

"..The details you put into your own report are very vague. You failed to mention that Shisui had been in rendered useless. Need we stress to you how important each detail is, regardless to relevance to the mission?" Again the words were the same- Plain, though more criticism was involved this time. Itachi didn't find it offensive, because he knew these were matters of importance.

"No. I completely understand how vital the information is. But because of what happened while I fought the third shinobi, I wanted to speak directly with the council concerning the matter. The third rogue ninja we encountered... He had been an Uchiha himself."

/Surprise/

((You pulled the rug out from under their typical day's events. Now they aren't sure what to think at all.))

"An Uchiha? Your certain of this?" This time it was the Third who was speaking. He was questioning with interest, and possibly concern. He, like everybody else, didn't know what to make of such an event.

"Hai. He killed Ro with the use of sharingan- I recognized it instantly because of how similar it was to my own techniques. He also assured myself and Shisui that he was of the Uchiha bloodline. That was when Shisui attempted to take him on- He thought the man a phony, and tried to best him with his own sharingan, but he failed. Had I not pulled him from the hold the other man had on him, I have no doubts that he would have been killed. Then, after that, I fought the man."

The young heir calmly explained what happened, just as he would have if he had written this in his report. These were not yet the most important details, or Itachi didn't think so. He was only counting on the fact that this council wanted the most complete story possible, and that was what he would give.

"..We are aware that you sustained heavy injury on this mission, yet there are no reports of that either."

"Hai. I was untouched until I fought the third opponent."

((And how unfair it is that Shisui managed to get off so easily. Mostly injury-free. He owed Itachi his life.))

/And the heir could be a fierce debt collector/

"He was more powerful than the two you were sent to take out, then, was he?"

"He was frighteningly powerful. So much so, that I must regretfully inform that he was not killed."

"Oh? You and Shisui are alive of his will, then?"

"Yes. After I fought him, though I was not even close to a match, he still seemed to show some interest in me. As if he were making further plans that involved me, somehow."

"Yes, go on."

"He did give me his name.. Or a claim, at the very least.."

"And..What was that..?"

"...Uchiha... Madara."

For a moment there was complete silence among the four members of the council, and then a sort of stir. Itachi kept his head down, but he could feel it. They all seemed so bewildered at that name- Uchiha Madara. But what were all these emotions overflowing from the collected higher-ups? Disbelief? Fear? Surprise? The anxiousness was mounting to a precipice; a dark, ominous peak, indeed.

"Thank you, Uchiha Itachi, this information you have gathered is of great importance... Have you spoken to anybody else about this?"

"No. Not even Shisui knows of it."

"Then keep it to yourself, if you will."

"Hai. I will do so."

"Now.. Onto a different matter. Uchiha Itachi... Tell us, do you love you home of Konoha?"

"... Hai, I do."

"And you realize, as ANBU, you must protect this village at all costs."

/All costs/

"I understand that."

"Surely you must know we are... hesitant, to allow any member of your family into the ANBU, because of the unspoken distrust concerning the Uchiha... There have been many -incidents- in the past, and now this one you have reported, so this state of uncertainty is understandable to you, correct?"

"...It is."

"You are heir to the main family, are you not?"

"I am."

"We want you to understand, peace between all shinobi, regardless of bloodline, or anything in the past is our greatest goal. We believe you want the same thing, because you wish to serve your village, and claim to love your home, as you stated. And being that you are next in line to lead the Uchiha, keeping your trust is of utmost importance. Furthermore, you've shown to us that you possess remarkable prowess in all areas that make a fine shinobi. And on top of that, you managed to collect a large amount of very important information, outside the mission that had been assigned to you, and you handled reporting that information very gracefully. You're destined for great things... Because of all those reasons, your position in ANBU is very much secured."

"Thank you."

The heir bowed in respect, and in gratitude to the small assembly before him, then turned and left. It was true, he had handled that with grace. He had accomplished something that hadn't truly been done by any member of his clan before him. So why did he feel so unsure about it now?

((What is that sickening twist in the pit of your stomach, Uchiha Itachi?))

/Uncertainty/

**::**

"Just look at how the mission turned out. The only two shinobi to walk away from it were members of the Uchiha! ...I do not look at it as a miracle at all. I do not feel surprise, or excitement. Why is that? Because I have never doubted our clans superiority above all others."

There was a stir among those paying witness to Fugaku's proud words. Itachi kind of winced from the noise, subtle or not. It was always bothersome. But he had to be here at these clan meetings, he was practically the star of the Uchiha, anything less than his perfect attendance would be unacceptable.

The zeal tonight was unusual- The entire family all seemed so..happy. Each of them were bathed in ferocious energy, spirit. But that was what Fugaku wanted. That was the reason he held these meetings so often, to rouse the fighting spirit in the fiery crowd. Tonight things were so joyous, because the news of the heir's acceptance into ANBU was being spread. All were being assured that the time of rebellion was nearing; The time for power had almost come upon them. It was so funny that the idea of war birthed such a festive energy. Didn't these people realize that war may have meant their death? Did none of them recall the ninja wars? How very horrible it all had been? How tired of fighting every clan within Konoha had been once it finally ended?

-Were they all insane?-

"Regretfully, Uchiha Shisui did not manage to make it into ANBU, but for every victory there is a defeat. Regardless, Shisui not being able to become a spy for us matters very little now, because even though they had only allowed one Uchiha to slip inside, one is all we need. One is everything we need."

Another stir of excitement; Even the guards, who could hear a fair deal of the meetings contents, must have been celebrating just outside. It was funny- Itachi was reminded so much of a religious sermon by these meetings. Itachi's father stood up there with all his faith, and all his pride in his beliefs, and preached it to his followers, his family, his brethren, bidding them with all his strength to trust and believe in his words. To have faith. To press on, even if it meant dying to carry on these ideas. Was being on top really so important to all these people?

-Why couldn't they all be satisfied?-

((This is exactly why nobody trusts the Uchiha.))

The heir glanced over at his mother- Mikoto, the calm, graceful housewife. The lady Uchiha. The unspoken voice. And she hadn't stated an opinion in this matter, had she? She just followed along with what Fugaku said, never disagreeing in the slightest.

She did notice that her eldest son was staring, however, and she turned those inky doe eyes to face the silent Itachi. She smiled at the boy, wide eyes flashing admiration only a mother could show to her child, and with one tiny hand she reached up to tuck a longer strand from the young boy's bangs back, behind his ear. "What's on your mind, Musuko?"

"Kaasan..." Itachi paused, looking away in uncertainty for a moment before he allowed his mother a view of his deadly eyes once more. "Do you.. Agree with everything Tousan says up there? About the rebellion?"

Her eyes widened for a moment, but not in a fearful sort of way. As most who got a glimpse of the spy's treachery would have. Rather, she merely seemed surprised by the question. Itachi, after all, had been his father's child for the longest period of time. The boy followed Fugaku's word, and never truly asked his mother for her own opinion.

"Why? Do you not, Itachi?"

"I just wanted to know what you thought... You always stand by Tousan no matter what, you never voice your own thoughts or ideas." He stopped, but feeling he didn't give his mother enough to respond to due to the fact that he really was just stating the truth, he continued. "Aren't you afraid? Any or all of us may be killed.. Me. You. Tousan. Otouto. All of us.. Doesn't that scare you? Are we treated so horribly that death is a better alternative? Or war?"

Mikoto looked back up at Fugaku, watching him, but still smiling her soft and maternal smile she put on only for her boys. "..It is not my place to decide what is right or wrong in this situation.. But you, Itachi, you are the future head of the Uchiha. It is your place to decide what is right, and do only what you believe is necessary... Your voice matters far more than my own."

"But Kaasan... I want to know. What do -you- want?"

The lady Uchiha glanced back over at Itachi, a smile still printed on her pretty face. Her son certainly was pressing this issue tonight, whereas he was usually so reserved. "I want the best for my sons. I want happiness for both you and your brother, no matter what."

"...Even if it means dying, Kaasan?"

"Hai. Even if it means we all must die."

Itachi said no more to his mother after that. He was satisfied enough with the answer he was given. The young heir did reach over and let his dainty hand be rested on top of his mother's own small one, however. An affectionate gesture of reassurance- It was all he had to give.

/Reassurance/

-Everybody could plant their little seeds into Itachi's mind, and soon he would draw his own conclusions.-

((You were finally getting closer, weren't you?))

/Fate/

**::**

"See that one! That one looks like a shuriken!"

The two Uchiha brother's laughed together, their backs comfortably laid against the soft grass of the field behind them, legs dangling fearlessly over the cliff in front of them. One of the brother's carried on his foolish joy much longer than the other, grasping his belly, and holding his arms around it as if it hurt from the laughter.

"It does, doesn't it? ..hm." Itachi smiled as his delicate fingers slipped into his weapon pouch, and drew out one of his own shuriken. Like a toy he spun it around on a single finger, holding it up to the sky so the twirl of the blades caught the glimmer of the sunlight.

"Hey, Niisan, can I see?" The younger of the two sat up, wide, dark eyes staring at the silvery weapon as though they could absorb the blade into their deep depths. His elder brother pushed up from the ground, warning the boy to be careful as he placed the shuriken into his younger brother's tiny hands.

"Niisan! This one is different from the one I practice with at the academy... Why is that?"

Itachi smiled, waiting a moment to answer his sibling, though the response was relatively simple. He had just felt a breeze rise from the river canyon below, and it felt too wonderful against his sun-warmed skin to interrupt. "The one I use is much sharper than the ones for practice, because those are just for throwing at targets, and these are for real missions. You want your tools to be sharp so they do their job, that's why I keep these cleaned and maintained."

"Ohhh." Sasuke nodded his head exuberantly, taking in his older brother's words, then he fell silent again, eyes still fixated on the metallic object cradled in his grasp. Itachi watched the way Sasuke handled the thing- so very delicate. He wondered, for a moment, if the boy treated the weapon with such respect because it was dangerous, or because it belonged to Itachi.

"So.. Have you ever thrown this at somebody," Sasuke asked, his voice a bit lower as if he were approaching this subject most delicately, though he was still deathly curious, and that much was apparent.

His sibling laughed lowly, however, as if the question itself had been rather silly. "Yeah, of course, Otouto."

To the response he had gotten, the younger Uchiha nodded his head again, his bangs flopping about on his forehead, and once more he fell into contemplative silence. It was the moment in which he fully thought out his next question. It was such a habit, Itachi had caught on fairly well. "And... Niisan... Have you ever killed somebody?"

The elder tilted his head, almost surprised. This was, of course, a question with an obvious answer, but it wasn't usually discussed very openly. Causing death was his duty, his job, it was what it was, and nobody ever truly took the time to think to hard on the matter, lest they drive themself insane. "..Well." He started to answer, but hesitated.

"..Yes."

This time around Sasuke fell into silence without a response. Itachi had to wonder if it was difficult for Sasuke to comprehend. After all, Itachi was a kind person in Sasuke's eyes. Seeing him as -a killer- must have been difficult. Itachi finally reached over and took the shuriken from his sibling's hand, and tucked it away for safety before plopping back down in the grass with a sigh. Dark eyes scanned the sky between pale fingers; The elder's hand was raised to guard his eyes from the harsh sun's light.

"Hey, Sasuke... That one looks like our family crest." He was referring to one of the few clouds drifting lazily by in the endless blue reaches of the sky. Sasuke looked up with squinted eyes, then laughed to himself.

"Yeah, it sure does!" The boy found his voice again, excited, and infinitely joyful, and with a little scoot he closed the gap between himself and his elder brother, falling down so that his head laid comfortably against Itachi's shoulder. "..Niisan?"

"Hmm?"

"This.. Is my very favorite thing in the world."

"Watching the clouds out here?"

Sasuke raised an arm to wrap around his siblings chest, and he laughed that happy little laugh of his. "With you, Niisan."

Itachi smiled a tiny smile for just himself as his brother continued to cling, snuggling against him in the soundless unresponsiveness that flowed out from the elder. It was just when Sasuke felt he couldn't possibly get any nearer to Itachi, and this meant he had propped his entire upper body up on Itachi's chest, and was looking at him very, very closely. that he decided to say more. "I wish we could stay here like this forever."

The older of the duo smiled his secretive smile once more, only this time Sasuke was allowed to see it, and the younger boy returned it with his own ear-to-ear grin. But the elder smiled just for his sibling; He wasn't truly happy at all. Happy things, now, only seemed to make him that much more upset, because he knew that -happiness- was something he would soon never taste again.

((Call it a feeling))

Regardless, he still wrapped his arms snugly around Sasuke, just to comfort the boy as he went about crushing the kid's dreams. "I wish that, to, Sasuke.. But very soon you'll be too busy with your work at the academy, and I'll be on constant missions, and we won't get to do this as much.."

"But.." Itachi started. "We can stay here until night comes, and look at the stars."

Sasuke took a deep breath as if it helped to stifle some of the immense excitement welling up inside him, and at the suggestion he snuggled his face right into Itachi's shirt, saying all sorts of things the elder could not understand at all, because of how very muffled they were.

-More so, he never understood what you were telling him, did he?-

/Naive/

-Far too-

/Innocent/

**::**

Night had fallen, and the two Uchiha siblings had been laying beneath the stars for hours, savoring every moment as best they could because soon this would never be able to happen anymore. But one brother had weakened, and his body's needs took over, and for that reason, Sasuke was now snuggled, warm and comfortable next to Itachi, fast asleep. The elder tried to wake the boy, but Sasuke wasn't budging; He couldn't be blamed. It was extremely late. Luckily enough their mother had been told of where they had disappeared to, lest they would be in quite a fix once they made it home.

After a while, Itachi finally moved, raising himself up from the grassy Earth, gently making sure his brother was still comfortable, since it was obvious that the elder was going to have to carry the sleeping boy home anyway. But then he heard something; A rustle, a voice perhaps, something like a ghost- A ghastly phantom, prowling the night. Quickly the boy had a kunai in hand, just in case there was a threat to be aware of, but once he turned his head to look all behind him, he saw nothing at all.

"..Itachi.."

"What?" The heir spoke aloud as he heard his name called from the empty air of the night. "Who's there?" Crimson flame sprung forth from each glassy doll-eye, and those blood-stained sharingan scanned about, hoping to see something that the plain human eye would miss. Defeated, the boy still saw nothing but empty fields.

"..You don't remember..? How could you forget, my young heir..?"

Itachi scrambled to his feet, though he made to crouch over Sasuke, protecting the boy with his own life, if need be. "You." He spoke out in response- He had heard this voice. He knew to whom it belonged, but he had not expected to hear it again so soon.

Swirling like ominous clouds blanketing the starry sky, hundreds of black, feathered creatures circled above, all swooping down to form one great mass, and that inky obsidian mass soon evolved into a man who could be from no place other than the very depths of hell.

"Hello there, Itachi.. I see you've healed up quite well. Your family must have put a lot of effort into getting you superb treatment." The man spoke, his voice sticking to his tongue from the venom he held inside; Low, and drawn out, and malicious- It reeked of 'villain'.

The heir bristled defensively, holding his kunai out in flawless form as he remained crouched to protect his little brother. ((Who he hoped to Kami didn't wake up)) It was a dangerous show, and by all means, since Sasuke was involved this time, the battle would be much more dangerous for that other man, demon or not; But what was most unusual was that he immediately made to call a truce.

"Don't worry, I haven't come here to engage you this time. No, I wouldn't dream of it. I only wanted to talk since the time was appropriate." He was different this time- Not just because of his nonaggressive approach, but now his visage was concealed by a mask, though he quickly removed it. A wicked snarl of a smile was still printed on his lips; It was suspicious, and Itachi just could not trust him.

"Why would I want to talk to you?" Itachi snapped his words viciously, glaring eye-to-eye with the other sharingan user. He knew in that contest he would only fail, but he wanted to maintain a threatening appearance.

"Oh, I think you'll find my words quite interesting, considering the difficult choices that lie ahead of you." He paused, crimson eyes moving away from Itachi's own sharingan, and meandering down to peer at the young, unconscious, Sasuke. "That's your younger brother, is it not?"

Itachi glared only more fiercely as he moved to block Sasuke from visual. "That's none of your concern, you just focus on me. I'm the only one you'll need to worry about."

"You seem much more on-edge than you were when first we met.. You must care very much for your sibling... But you can't protect him, and you know it. Not just from me, should I want to attack, but from anything. No, the future is looking very bleak for the boy indeed."

"What do you mean?" The heir was still very nervous in the presence of this monster he had fought once before, and though he thought making a run for it might have been an option, he wasn't sure he wanted to risk it- Plus, his curiosity had just clicked in, and his attention was captured like meager prey by the predator before the young shinobi.

"The rebellion... The coup d'etat that your clan is planning as we speak. You know what will happen, so don't play dumb."

"Humor me. What is it you think you know?"

"I know enough to comprehend it on a much greater level than you, my young, and politically ignorant shinobi... When the Uchiha clan starts their little war, all of Konoha will descend into chaos from such a sudden civil war. And, with Konoha weak, rival countries will see this as a chance to attack. Then, like clockwork, Konoha's allies will rush to its aid, and attack the enemy countries that sprung to the offensive, and as predictable as the phases of the moon- Another ninja war will begin. You don't possibly think that your weak little sibling could survive such merciless, cold-blooded confusion, do you?"

Itachi's eyes bore into the man like heated daggers, but he could not deny that he believed in what the demon was saying. He /feared/ what was being said was the truth. He glanced off to the side, defeated once again by this brutal opponent. "...No."

"Then it would be in your beloved sibling's best interest that you find a way to keep that war from happening."

"But what do you have to gain from this? Why would you want to advise me?" The heir's voice was low- He wasn't sure he even wanted to know the answer to this.

The man who claimed the name 'Madara Uchiha' laughed aloud at the question, his bitter cruelty apparent even in the vibrations of his voice. "Revenge, Uchiha heir, revenge... I don't know if you did your homework or not, but you should be aware by now, I'm neither happy with the Uchiha clan, nor the leaders of Konoha."

"That's right. The clan turned their back on you when once you thought to attempt this very same operation." Itachi stated this bluntly, because he had, indeed, done some research after the last little run in with the creature before him now.

"I lost my own younger brother for the sake of war.. But I was betrayed, and his sacrifice went to waist. I still feel bitter over it, but can you blame me?" For a moment the vile creatures outward persona shifted, so he actually seemed -almost- human. Itachi could not blame him, if that was the truth, of course.

Still, something seemed out of place about this man, and Itachi wished to figure that out before he jumped headlong into taking advice from him. "I still don't understand. If a war breaks out, then more lives will be lost. Wouldn't that be more suitable for your 'revenge'?"

"Ah, I suppose it would, but then I might lose this little gem that I've discovered... You see, I'm in need of some young, naturally talented shinobi to sculpt."

"Really, for what?" The young shiobi's voice was still bathed in curiosity, but he asked in such a tone, it sounded as if he were only humoring the man by inquiring, since it was clear this man intended on taking possession of the heir for his purposes.

((Perhaps you -were- born to be an item and be used for the gain of others.))

Madara shrugged as if answering this question was a simple matter. "You said to me last time that 'I spoke as if I could truly comprehend a concept such as leadership'. Well, of course, having been the leader of the Uchiha clan at one point, I do understand those concepts. And like the once proud clansman I used to be, and having at last discovered a way to permanently end all this conflict, I still long to be on top- But I need followers to take with me to the peak of height. A leader is nothing without followers, after all."

"And what would make me want to abandon my home in order to help you?" Itachi inquired in a mockingly venomous tone- Clearly he had no interest in being used by this monster. The vile creature before him treated the response as if it didn't bother him at all, and with a smile he returned the wooden article of concealment to his face.

"To repay me for my kind council? Because I led you in the right direction? Because I can train you to reach heights not possible in Konoha? ...However you sort it in that little head of yours is fine, but the cold, hard facts are.. I have my eye on you, and one way or another, I get what I want..." He paused, and Itachi could see him angle his head down slightly. The heir would suppose the vile demon was looking to catch a glimpse of Sasuke again, but it was uncertain, due to his face being hidden. Then, however, Madara turned his back as if he were too good to finish his conversation with the heir on a face-to-face basis. "I want you to meet me again here, a week from now, after the sun has completely set. Either that, or I'll find you when you least expect it. Whichever suits you better, Uchiha Itachi."

The last bitter syllables of his words drifted, breaking apart, and flowing like ghost-tone over the grass of the field. It was threatening- Especially as he broke apart swiftly into a mass of winged, black creatures, half of which flew rings around the heir before dispersing, and vanishing like thin air into the inky blackness of the sky above.

Sasuke shifted then, making little noises as he finally revived a bit. "Nii-san, were those birds?"

"No Sasuke... They weren't"

((They certainly were not))

-They were very far from that, indeed-

**::**

-You came to them as their loyal ally this time. They probably know that by now-

((If they don't, they will soon))

"We are glad to see the mission was accomplished successfully and flawlessly as always. Excellent work."

The council was pleased with the heir's work, as always. How could they not be? It was just as they said, successful and flawless. Everything he did was. But today he was even furthering his prowess, by reporting to them matters of even greater importance than the various tasks that were assigned to him.

"Thank you.. But there were some other things I wished to report on, other than just my missions. They are of great importance, and that is why I waited to address the council directly." Itachi spoke sternly, sounding as serious in tone as his own father. Truth be told, he felt sick to his stomach. It took every ounce of restraint he had to not wretch right here in front of everybody.

"Oh?" There was a slight stir among them at what Itachi's desire to speak directly to them may have meant. "Go on, then."

"I came to inform you all that... The original purpose of me, as an Uchiha, moving for acceptance into ANBU was to be a spy for my clan. To provide them with necessary information in order to successfully overthrow the village government, and take over Konoha... Of course, since I am here telling this, it should be most obvious that I am now acting opposite of my clans intentions for me. To avoid another war I have decided to report these matters, and allow a decision to be made as to how to handle the Uchihas' no-longer-secret plans for a coup d'etat."

There was silence all around- Surprise, Itachi expected, though.. How could any of them really be surprised? They all knew that the Uchiha clan could not be trusted. The heir just kept his head down respectfully, waiting for one of them to speak.

"...This is.. A very serious matter that you've just reported to us... We will need time to decide what the best course of action will be in order to handle this... Uchiha Itachi, you are completely certain of what you just informed us of, correct?"

"As an Uchiha myself, I cannot be more certain. My own father, and head of our clan, Uchiha Fugaku, is the one in charge of this entire ordeal. He holds clan meetings on a constant basis in order to inform and discuss matters with the rest of the clan. I've witnessed my entire family's passionate desire for a rebellion. There is no question, only certainty."

"Then.. Just as your clan intended, only in a reversed concept, you will be a spy. You will spy on them for us, and report everything you possibly can. You will warn us of any movement from them, and though we will do our best to bargain with them, if we cannot reach a peaceful solution... Then wiping them from existence may become necessary.."

"..I understand." The heir hadn't intended to hesitate- But he did. He wanted to carry on with his report as if he felt nothing, but the harsh truth was- He did. He felt as if he had been hit by a ton of bricks. Eventually he managed to find his voice again. "There was one other matter I wished to report."

"What is that?"

"I have come into contact with Uchiha Madara once more..."

"Oh? Please, tell us everything you gathered from this encounter."

"It was he who advised me to make the move against my clan. I'm unsure what his motives behind this are, besides the fact that he seems to have a grudge against the Uchiha. He also expressed a desire to have me join him- He spoke of starting some sort of organization, and needing the aid of talented shinobi. Other than that I do not know what it is he is planning."

"..Understood. Then, in addition to your mission to spy on the Uchiha clan, if you make contact with this supposed 'Madara Uchiha' again, then try your best to get further information from him. From now on we want reports from you concerning these two missions on a weekly basis, and once we make a decision we will give you further orders."

"It will be done."

**::  
**TBC  
**::**


	4. Chapter 4

_There's room at the top, their telling you still  
__But first you must learn how to smile as you kill  
__If you want to be like all the folks on the hill  
__A working class hero is something to be  
__A working class hero is something to be_

::

He stood out in that same field, at the appropriate time set for him, and he awaited the arrival of the demon who so longed to suck the blood from his veins. His eyes were closed, and yet he was so alert as to everything going on around him. The brisk wind caressed his cheeks, making his long bangs flutter over his forehead. The crickets sang into the night as the long grasses and wild flowers danced around him where he stood, still, just beneath the starry sky.

He didn't even hear the flutter of wings as he had expected, signaling the man he had so patiently awaited as he at last showed himself. At his back stood Madara Uchiha, laughing just under his breath, so quietly it was very near inaudible. "So.. You showed without a struggle, I must admit... I had my doubts that you were serious about saving your brother."

"No. I am serious." The heir spoke in a neutral tone, showing absolutely nothing as the one behind him snuck that much closer. It was more comparable to the very first meeting. "I gave the village leaders the clan's plans for rebellion. I am spying for them now, though they have me on standby for more... drastic measures."

"Ahh, yes. They want you to massacre your entire family, am I correct?" The demon smirked, knowingly, as he removed his intricately designed mask. For this reason, Itachi had been lucky enough to not catch the mocking expression, as well as the fact that he had just now opened his eyes. Those ruby eyes burned brighter than they ever had, tonight, however. The violent illumination was so utterly overpowering that even the fierce monster of a man recoiled a bit as Itachi whipped his head back to glare at him over his shoulder. It did not take the elder Uchiha long to form another smirk however- Yes, the man was practically licking his lips at the thought of taking the heir under his wing.

In that same frighteningly detached monotone, Itachi spoke, not giving even a hint of his own anguish away vocally. "..Hai, you are. But that doesn't matter. Tell me- For what purpose did you bring me here?"

The older man mocked the emotionlessness of his soon-to-be student, though his cynical nature didn't fail to show through in his words. "Anxious, are we? Alright... Most of it you already know, I explained the last time. I need warriors for my cause. Not just any warriors, but only the most talented shinobi in existence. I'll band these shinobi together, then, we will become more powerful than all the great villages, and wipe them from the map. After that, with there only being one super power.. there will be peace...

He paused, as if waiting for a reaction that never came. "But of course, for such a plan I need to make a start, and you are one of the shinobi I have in mind to make my follower. After all, there is no sense in destroying Uchiha from existence, not when such natural, raw talent is locked within us... After tonight I want to begin to train you regularly."

Itachi turned his head again so that he was looking forward over the cliff before him, down toward where the winding river escaped from Konoha's borders. He did not respond immediately to the very powerful man at his back, but instead he seemed to weigh his options for a moment before making a decision. "Very well."

The demonic man snapped his mask back into place before nodding, and speaking up again in a calm, but commanding tone. "Your first mission as my pupil is to..."

"Kill your very best friend."

::

-Uchiha Itachi. What have you become?-

/Lifeline/

/Scapegoat/

/Sacrifice/

((And they know that don't they?))

-But you know, in the end, this will be-

/Worth Something/

"We have made our final decision." One of the elders spoke up, or so Itachi noticed. His head was down as usual as he kneeled to the council before him. He wished so much that he could look at them, just to see how they all looked at him. What did the see him as, truly? Were they grateful for what he was doing for them now?

"Despite our greatest attempts at soothing our offenses against them, and making amends.." It was still one of the elders speaking; Not the hokage- That meant only the worst would come out of this. If the kind third hokage couldn't voice the orders, then it had to be what Itachi had feared most. He was braced for it, however. He couldn't say he hadn't expected it. "They have chosen to remain hostile, and therefor we must regretfully assign you to the mission of the eradication of the entire clan. We will give you an amount of time to appropriately distance yourself from your family members."

And there it was- Cold, hard justice. The heir silently let out a breath he had been holding inside. He wasn't sure what was more cruel- The fact that his entire family had to die, or the fact that it would be by his hand.

Itachi spoke up. Not in response to his mission, but in regards to another assignment that had been given to him. "There is one that may need to be terminated immediately. I believe he may have developed suspicions concerning me."

"And who is that?"

"Uchiha... Shisui." Speaking the name of his best friend had never been so hard. Emotionally, this hurt even more because Shisui hadn't spoken to him since Itachi stabbed him in the back. Now he had to end his cousins life while they were not even on good terms. Itachi would try to make things right in the end, but.. It felt so wrong.

((You were stabbing him in the back again. Again, and again, and again. He'll die eventually, right?))

"Very well. Terminate the said shinobi as soon as possible... Now, as for the 'Madara' situation, what do you have to report?"

"I've made contact once again- He explained to me that he wishes to start some type of organization in order to destroy all the known shinobi villages, and take over. He came to me, specifically, because he wishes to train me, and have me join him."

"Then, as it is, the best option would be to have you leave Konoha under the guise of an S-ranked felon, charged with your families murder. This way nobody in Konoha has to know of what truly occurred, and you can infiltrate the said organization as our spy, and keep a watch over this man who claims to be 'Uchiha Madara'."

The heir paused, again, not ignoring his orders, but not responding very well. Instead he was rebelling now- Perhaps he was speaking out of line, but he didn't see how it really mattered. "I must respectfully ask but one favor in return."

"What is that?"

He hesitated again, his heart pounding in his throat so fiercely he felt not only could he not speak, he couldn't even breathe. "There is one member of my clan, only one, that I cannot kill, and no amount of distance can ever bring me to do it." For all his nervousness the words came out relatively easy, sliding, withdrawn, and seemingly without emotion, though his actions allowed him to keep one shred of his humanity. He may have been afraid right now, but one way or another he would save the one person he was giving everything up for.

"Are you requesting assistance or are you asking for one to be spared?"

"Hai- For one to be spared. One, that is all I ask." Itachi had always hated the sound of his voice when he was begging. He had a feeling, however, that wasn't going to be the only thing he hated about himself, soon enough.

"And who may this be?"

"My younger brother... Uchiha Sasuke. He knows nothing of the plan or rebellion, and in all honesty... I took the step to make you all aware of this situation for his sake more than anything... I want a safe, peaceful Konoha for him to grow up in... I care for him more than anything, even myself. I've accepted the task of spilling my entire families blood with my own hands, and being banished from my home, all for him... Please."

Could they see it yet? Could they see the human being locked inside the shell of a killer? Surely some compassion awaited within them- Sasuke was just a boy! What harm could saving him do? If anything, destroying the family that shunned him was made slightly easier for that reason. Sasuke deserved to be set free from the cycle of cold discipline that Itachi had not been able to escape from. And after everything was said and done, he deserved so much better than what he had been given. Itachi would do anything to grant that to his younger sibling.

"Granted. Sasuke Uchiha is to be spared." The old hokage spoke up without the usual chatter from the others present- He made this decision on a whim, without the advice of anybody else. Itachi sighed in relief, so utterly grateful. There was still more that needed to be said however, so for once he lifted his face to look up at the third.

"You..." The heir addressed the hokage, burning sharingan eyes staring directly at him, so there was no question who Itachi was speaking to now. The others seemed surprised at this movement, but Itachi paid them little attention. " I know what kind of person you are... I know this entire situation hurts you as much as it does me. But do me this one kindness. Make sure- Make sure Sasuke is safe. See that he is taken care of. After all... He will have lost his entire family. He deserves to be watched out for since I cannot be here to do it any longer.." The young shinobi's voice was so low, his words were almost inaudible. It made it seem as if he and the wise older man before him were locked in a world all their own, just for the sake of the communication. For the sake of Itachi's sincerity being completely absorbed by the other.

"I will." The third responded without any hesitation. Actually, his words were filled with nothing but total admiration, overshadowing his own immense grief at this tragedy unfolding. "You can be sure of it, Uchiha Itachi. You are one of the most loyal and noble shinobi to ever grace Konoha with your presence. For you, and for that boy, I will personally make sure he is taken care of."

"Thank you." The heir could not express his gratitude with any other words or actions. At least he could have this tiny amount of peace in his heart for the rest of his time. Sasuke would be safe. Sasuke would grow strong. Sasuke would finally get all the recognition he deserved. Itachi dropped beyond his usual kneel, and completely lowered himself to the ground in a bow to the third. "Thank you... So much."

::

"So the river asked: Was it a golden kunai or a silver one?"

Both boys laughed together as they sat at the rivers edge, but honestly the story was getting a bit old. Shisui didn't even tell it right, but instead he turned it around to suit his more humorous purposes. Itachi only laughed to please him, really. Oddly enough, Shisui could tell.

"Itachi.. Your laugh is so fake." The older boy, age ten or so at the time, still smiled at the boy sitting at his side. He didn't care that his best friend just humored him- He knew Itachi was only trying to be a good friend in his actions. Apparently, however, the younger boy had thought the discovery of his false joy was a terrible blow. His smile faded from his pale visage and he looked down at the river before him, splashing his feet lightly in the clear water.

The young Shisui watched for a moment; How Itachi's medium length hair looked as it fell around his porcelain face, and how lovely the ripples of the water looked when they were reflected inky black in the liquid surface of the young heir's eyes. He was so sad, but so very beautiful, crystalized in the loveliness of his own sorrows.

"Hey, you know it's alright, yeah? I like the sound of your laugh, fake or not." Shisui smiled, brushing his hands through his own wavy obsidian hair before he turned his face toward the sun, and let the warmth of those golden rays caress his cheeks. But maybe it wasn't the sun at all, maybe it was the fact that Itachi had turned those abyssal doll-eyes toward him. The older boy looked back over, meeting glances with his best friend.

"Itachi..," He began "Why are you so sad all the time?"

The boy at his side blinked, parting his lips as if he intended to speak up, though he hesitated in what looked like confusion. It was in the delicately subtle way the young boy's thin brows knitted together.

"I'm... not."

((But you were, weren't you? You just didn't know why.))

Itachi stared down at the river now, much as he had that day, or so he noted as he let the memory slip through his mind, and right by him, on a trail to being long forgotten. One difference stuck out in his mind the most at the very moment, though, and that was the fact that the water had turned black- Dark in the sunless night. Gloved fingers reached out to dip into the rapidly flowing water, their images becoming distorted as they hovered just beneath the surface.

Soon they were joined by another waving shadow; The silhouette of Itachi's cousin, and best friend, Uchiha Shisui. "I knew you would come here, Shisui." Itachi spoke up, his voice changed from when he was younger, but still as emotionless as ever. The man behind him didn't seem to waver much at the statement, but after a moment he spoke up, breaking the silence between himself and Itachi.

((Though soon enough he would be silent forever.))

"What is it you thought to accomplish in coming here? To make things better between us by nostalgically showing up here at our hangout spot from years ago?" Shisui's words were bitter, but only because he was suffering so greatly. He was still angry with Itachi for causing him to lose his chance at getting into the ANBU, and he hadn't spoken to his old friend since that day.

"Yes." Itachi's response was simple, and to-the-point. He had intended on making things right with his friend before he cut him down. He could hear Shisui sigh as the younger male gracefully took to his feet, turning slightly, and eyeing his old friend with glassy rubies beneath lashes like black butterfly wings.

"You're still sad, even after all these years. Was ANBU not everything you'd hoped for?" This time Itachi averted his gaze because Shisui was right; He was sad. And his friend probably only found it immensely mocking that Itachi was clad in his ANBU clothes. But he was on a mission right now, whether Shisui realized that or not.

"I saved your life. In my eyes, because of your foolish behavior, I didn't see you as ANBU material. Lying would not have changed the facts. ..I only wanted to keep you safe, and make sure you didn't get in over your head... You may hate me for that, but I needed for you to know the truth." Luminous doll-eyes drifted back up to meet Shisui's own fiery crimson gaze as Itachi spoke calmly, but with a melancholy sort of grace about him.

"My foolish behavior? My foolish behavior, Itachi! Can I really help it? I had just seen Ro die, you know, the one who loved me! The only one who ever returned my affection, because she wasn't an emotionless shell posing as a human being!" Shisui glanced off to the side, biting his lip in fury at his own little revelation. He thought perhaps he had spoken vaguely enough that his intelligent friend would understand, but not be sure enough to say anything about it. Still the fact that he could not restrain the tears that found their way down his cheeks spoke even louder than his words of frustration. He looked up, just to see if Itachi was looking at him with patronizing red pools, but he found that the younger male had his pretty face turned toward the moon that had just revealed itself from behind black rain clouds. Shisui watched as gloved hands trailed up to be placed against naked, moonlit shoulders, and in a strangely petite movement Itachi shrugged back obsidian hair that he had left down.

"I seem sad.." Itachi began, eyes still looking to the lonely moon as his purr of a voice sprang forth from behind pale pink lips. "Because I'm suffering. But... I won't let you suffer any more. Your life is not a tool to be used and thrown away for the shallow desires of the clan.. Nor are you my sacrifice, and... I do not think of you as such... You are merely a victim, cursed with the name 'Uchiha'... And you are my best friend, and no matter what happens, that's how things will remain for all eternity, in my mind, at least.." Falling silent, Itachi did not move, but instead he stood still as a marble statue in the moon's light.

Shisui sighed in exasperation. Itachi was never going to change, and he didn't know why he wasted his time with the boy any longer. He probably remained only to gaze upon his old friend's sorrowful beauty, despite the fact that he was already late for the clan meeting. "Itachi... Why did you really come here?"

"Why..?" Itachi finally turned his head, repeating the question as if he were making sure he heard his friend correctly, though once they locked eyes he took hold of his older cousin, squeezing him tightly in a mental stranglehold. Shisui had trusted him too much. The young teen walked forward, finally able to fully control his bodies functions and concentrate on his techniques at the same time. He could feel his friend fighting, almost as if they were making physical contact- The locks between two sharingan users tended to be just as personal and filled with unusual sensations as true combat. Shisui was losing this one, though, just as he had lost to Madara, and it was apparent he understood that at this point there was nothing he could do.

When at last Itachi stood directly in front of his childhood friend, he answered his question. "I came here... to kill you."

The older of the two jolted out of the spell in a sudden surge of fright, and Itachi let go without much struggle, not going so far as to torment his old friend. No, he only held on long enough to paralyze the boy, and numb him to his surroundings. If anything Itachi was being as merciful as he could be.

Armor-clad arms came up to break Shisui's fall as his body went slack in paralysis, and Itachi scooped the older male up, cradling him like a delicate object as he turned on heel and began to walk toward the river. Shisui was still conscious, though he couldn't feel a thing- Hopefully being able to contemplate the descent into death for a minute or so before the lack of air knocked him from the waking world would not be disturbing, but rather... enlightening. For a shinobi, it should be so, or that was Itachi's feelings on the matter.

"You do deserve to know the truth." Itachi continued to speak calmly to his friend, striking a soothing tone as he carried the other male toward the river. "I was the clan's hope for finally attaining power, but they were all too selfish to realize the cost of their actions. I alone have reached a higher level of vision... I will take them all into myself to hide their sin from the world, by killing every one of them. I am the sacrifice made for their desires.."

The heir continued to walk, even as his feet dipped down into the gentle push of the river's flow. He allowed himself to be submerged, placing one foot in front of the other until he was in the middle of the flowing, liquid grave. Once the water was up to his waist he lowered Shisui down, letting his body float momentarily at the top, watching as his eyes pleaded in paralyzed silence.

"I'm sorry." The young ANBU began. "I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry for stabbing you in the back. And.." He bent over his friend, pressing his lips to Shisui's for just a fleeting moment. "I'm sorry for never realizing how you felt... Goodbye." And then, not wanting to delay any longer Itachi raised a single hand to his old friend's chest, and pushed him swiftly under.

The Uchiha heir waited, holding his only true friend beneath the surface to drown. There was no possibility for struggle, and Itachi was glad of it, because his heart was breaking so excruciatingly within him, he would be satisfied to let Shisui turn the tables, and hold his head beneath the dark water. His breathing quickened as he could practically feel Shisui's life slip away, and panicked, the heir's heart pounded painfully in his chest- Painfully strong and alive. He bit his lip as his eyes squeezed shut and empty shudders passed through his frame, feeling very much like sobs, though, despite everything, Itachi couldn't bring himself to cry. He was too hollow inside.

But to his surprise, he did feel a slick sort of warmth slide down his cheeks, though it was not true tears. These tears tainted his white skin vibrant red, and it was obvious, even in the dim, silver light of the moon. A normal man would go into shock if tears of blood poured from his eyes, but not Itachi. He didn't care. If it meant he was dying, he didn't care. He just took a breath as he let Shisui slip from his grasp, then wiped at the red streams with soaked, gloved hands.

"..Good... Very good."

Itachi heard an unpleasantly pleased-sounding voice, but he didn't yet turn to face it. He didn't have to, he knew who it was, and he wished like nothing else the man at his back would leave him to his sorrows. However, once the ANBU felt a chill rising within him he found it inside himself to free his frame from the flow of water. Moving without much life, the heir turned, and walked toward the bank, regretfully meeting the dark, cloaked figure just as his feet found dry Earth. Crimson eyes, swirling with newly evolved power drug themselves from the ground to the unmasked face of the demon who had come to laugh at Itachi's loss. "What is happening?"

The young shinobi's voice was like that of a dead man- Without true life, soulless. And though he would show no sort of undeserved gratitude to the man, he was at least thankful that Madara expressed some sort of false sympathy, and did it without being openly mocking. The demon's words came out of his mouth more soft, and delicate than ever before. "In your actions, you have awakened the secret power of 'mangekyou sharingan', and from now until time for you to complete your mission, I will train you to use it masterfully.."

Itachi just nodded in silence, shuddering again from the cold, and from the humanity wanting to consume him from the inside out. His fists clenched at his sides, and he bit down on his lip as the blood continued to pour from his burning eyes. It was becoming very painful now, like a fire pulsing into the back of his skull. And feeling very faint, his knees gave way beneath him, causing him to tumble, though he quickly found himself encased in Madara's grasp.

With the extra support, he managed to firmly plant his feet beneath him once more, though he was still leaned forward into the cold embrace of the other. Or, it was cold in the sense that, he knew Madara did not care for him. He was only a pawn in this man's grand scheme, but actually.. The circle of arms around him was very warm, and the body he was now attached to felt very soothingly human to his physically, and emotionally drained form.

"...I hate you..." The used up boy muttered against the chest of the much older man. Madara only laughed lowly to himself, though compassionate fingers moved to stroke the silky raven hair that flowed down the younger shinobi's back as his other arm kept Itachi pressed securely close.

"Good. That's all I need to make you powerful."

::

"The plight of creatures in nature is never ending. When war has exhausted a solitary power, they must either hold their ground despite everything, or give up, and die out." The voice of the instructor rattled in Itachi's head, haunting him from so many years ago.

He could still see himself, in that gray room, where every tender child was made into a machine. Every sensei was clad in the dull gray, as were the students, aside from the family crests each of them wore.

((It looked gray, but it was a time painted red with blood.))

It was the beginning of the second day to the special academy program, and there in the center of the room was that glass holding case. Clear for everyone to see was the pair of weasels from the day before, though the pair had grown in numbers from the previous day. Now the white female had her long body wrapped around a litter she had delivered overnight, and her mate ((Still scruffy from the battle with the hungry snakes)) stood over her in what looked like unease.

The closed box a few feet away from them was rattling furiously, and at the sound the black male bristled, snarling, always on edge. He was ready to fight every moment of his life, it seemed, though his reasons were so utterly obvious. When at last the box he faced jolted apart, the children paying witness saw that today it had contained even more of the fierce little mammals. There were four of them, all brown in coat coloration, and beastly in size, even compared to the ferocious black male. But that didn't stop the ebony creature from rushing right toward the group, and meeting them head-on.

"Even against his own kind he will fight to the death, because the other males will seek to kill his mate's litter in order to bring her back into season, then drive him off, taking away everything that mattered in his life."

The battle was hopeless-looking. From every angle the obsidian mammal was met with merciless teeth and claws, but he kept fighting for all he was worth. When at last he managed to put down one of the males he was fighting, he was already torn up, and bloodied. He was gashed, and blood was leaking in puddles all over the glassed container, but not for a moment did he stop. He swiftly caught another of his own by the throat, and held on, squeezing, and tearing, suffocating and ripping it open so the cage was being painted crimson with little weasels' paw prints.

With two down, and two still chewing at him, the black mammal had lost some of his speed and grace, because one of his legs had been mutilated. He was missing large patches of fur, and skin, and his small, round ears had been torn, but continuing he dragged one of his furry combatants away, using him like a shield from the other as he ripped into him, killing him as quickly as he could. He was only aided by the fact that the only one remaining was helping kill another enemy by trying to tear through him to get the black male. However, once that one was down, and only one remained, the black mammal leaped, despite his injuries, and took the only little combatant standing down hard, pinning him to the ground to flail as he was chewed apart.

With the battle won, the furry black mammal hobbled away from the four dead bodies, though he didn't make it very far before he collapsed, dead.

"So you see, through the pain he still felt from the snake bites, he managed to win his battle, though he had to give his life. But at least his mate and his litter are safe."

That was what this had been reduced to. Itachi was that black weasel, and now he faced a snarling pack of his own. Each of them were snarling beasts in their own way, and as a group they all wanted more, more, more, constantly consuming, looking for an opportunity to take over, a chance to steal something right out from under somebody else.

And that was not going to happen.

The traitorous heir had offered his new sensei a more delectable chance for revenge. During his training he made the proposal to Madara- To allow the demon to help in the Uchiha genocide. That man probably would have helped himself to his share of Uchiha blood, but just in case... Itachi made it a point. He hadn't really done it to please his new teacher, but rather... He didn't want to do the entire job himself. Not that he couldn't- Oh no- He could. But even time, and distance didn't aid in making this less painful. Why not hand over half of this task to somebody who really wanted to do it?

They had handled the more unsuspecting victims first. Those that had been asleep early, the children, the non-kunoichi women, the elderly. It was easy, because of course they came well equipped. Itachi had made it a point to be humane to the most of them, darting them with needles coated in quick-killing poison. A toxic mixture that sucked a victim from consciousness before stopping their heart.

Yet another reason for the easy extermination was the fact that the area was so enclosed. Like trapped rats, nobody had any place to run, and no place to hide that couldn't be found. There was one opening to the entire complex, and both shinobi had it well-guarded. But the Uchiha clan was too proud to completely panic in the situation. Most of them regrouped, and decided to storm the two masked men attempting to slay them all, but it was a one sided battle, regardless.

Madara and Itachi stood side by side in front of the complex exit, stormed by the Uchiha masses. The traitor unleashed a barrage of shuriken, aiming each sharpened star for a neck as he threw them in rapid succession. The front of the wave fell, but only to be trampled by more raging Uchiha. As the family made an attempt to overpower the two opposing them, the demon made a lunge forward, swiping his sword low, and cutting another handful off at the knee while Itachi spun into the air, blades in hand, and he slashed their throats. The heir landed amongst the group, twirling with grace, and slicing apart anything in his wake before he parried a few blows, gashing up the opposition, making a few jabs here and there, and leaving a wide gap in the group, then he flipped back to land at his sensei's side.

Madara was still hacking away as if it were some sort of game, but Itachi didn't bother thinking about it- He just followed the example, meeting the blades of his own cousins and aunts and uncles, but laying them to waste within moments of recognizing each of their faces. The demonic man spun away from a handful of shuriken thrown his way, consuming Itachi's form in the folds of his billowing, black cloak, then once he stood still again, and the fabric settled behind him, it seemed as if Itachi had disappeared. A few members of the clan were left aghast at the disappearing act, but those caught off guard were terminated just as quickly, because soon Itachi reappeared from above, moving nimble fingers to form a new set of hand seals his sensei had shown to him.

Like rain from the heaven's to punish the sinful, an immense hail of raging fireballs came down to consume another large handful of Uchiha family members. Those hit directly collapsed, flailing, though the flames were hot enough to kill them quickly so their suffering wasn't terribly drawn out. But the ones unlucky enough to be stumbling over bodies, and just happened to meet the embers, Itachi took them out with a hint of mercy by striking them all with more shuriken. He only hoped he hadn't missed anybody. Allowing his family members to endure too much pain would be a calamity.

The traitorous one landed near the exit, taking a deep breath as he left it all to Madara for a moment, but he couldn't rest for long. His own use of his family ninjutsu had inspired a grand fireball from somebody in the crowd, though the impulse had been a foolish one, since it took out a few of their own, and Madara and Itachi only stood their ground, unharmed. They had seen it coming, and performed a series of hand signs, unleashing their own fire-repelling jutsu. It was the same trick Madara used against Itachi when they fought, and he had been kind enough to show the technique to his new student.

Now, with only very few left, both student and teacher slashed away, dropping the rest of the group within a matter of a few minutes. And that easy, the destruction of the Uchiha clan was well on its way. Only one thing was troubling Itachi now. He had not seen his mother or father in that group at all. And he thought proud Fugaku would have been on the front lines. Surely Fugaku knew what was going on?

Itachi left his sensei in charge of making sure all the fallen warriors were dead, then searching to see if there had been any hidden survivors, and killing anybody he found. Itachi, however, went directly to his home, wondering where his parents were. His nerves were stretched far too thin to have to hunt down his closest family members, and have to worry about Sasuke arriving home soon.

He walked through the front door of his home, and into the kitchen, and to his great surprise he found his parents sitting right there at the table, sipping tea as if nothing were wrong. He didn't budge for a moment, watching as Fugaku's eyes wandered over to him, as calm and stern as ever.

"...Why don't you take off that damned mask... It isn't as if we don't know what is just beneath it." Fugaku spoke up, his voice clear, and proud, and commanding.

The traitorous heir did not waver, nor did he question what had been said to him. It had not been a request, after all, though he could have taken it as such. He did not have to do as he was told, because he was here to kill the two people sitting before him, but.. He felt he should grant them this much. Calmly his gloved hand reached up, and he pulled the ANBU mask away from his visage, allowing his parents to look upon their executioner.

"You knew then?" The heir questioned his father, wondering exactly how long Fugaku had known of what was to come.

"I had suspicions.." The clan-head's voice rang out sternly; Calm, despite what was soon to become of him. Itachi supposed Fugaku had looked death in the face enough times to be able to face it without being tense. Right now he lifted his cup to sip his tea, taking the last drink he would ever have. "Shisui told me that you kept him from getting into ANBU.. And then Shisui was killed... And you started acting so bitter, and more distant than usual.."

"You knew for that long?" The question rolled off of Itachi's tongue in an emotionless manner. He was surprised, and yet not. Yes, to his father this should have been obvious, but.. Perhaps he had thought himself more stealthy than he really was. Fugaku only nodded as the heir came forward, still speaking out of sheer curiosity. "And you did nothing to stop it?"

"I couldn't be sure of anything. But this was your choice, wasn't it, Itachi? Who am I to tell you what to think any longer?" He cleared his throat, sliding an empty glass away from him on the table. "But tell me, why did you choose to betray us?" It was funny how blameless Fugaku's voice was as he questioned his traitorous son. Perhaps he really didn't hold this against his elder son, but merely was curious to know what was on Itachi's mind.

"I couldn't allow another war to break out." The heir spoke quite simply, giving his father the answers he desired, since this was the only time he had to ask these questions. Fugaku simply nodded to the answer, and Itachi allowed the swirl of his mangekyou sharingan to flicker to life.

Fugaku's crimson orbs peered up to face Itachi's evolved eyes, but the young shinobi saw no intent for ferocity in his father's optics, only the unfed urge of curiosity. It practically foreshadowed his questioning. "Tell me... How is it you have attainted a level of sharingan that has been lost to the clan for years?"

"Because of who my new sensei is." Itachi explained calmly, pausing to allow his father to take that information in before he continued. "Uchiha Madara."

Fugaku's subtle surprise at this revelation was obvious, but he acted as if it were an everyday occurrence. After all, there was no reason for him to concern himself, was there? "Madara? He is still alive?"

Itachi nodded to his father, though at last the time for questions had come to an end. A detached voiced poured from behind Itachi's pale lips. "Allow me to demonstrate the power of mangekyou sharingan." And with such a declaration Itachi captured his father within his immensely powerful eyes, putting the man out like a light within mere seconds. It was strange to see Uchiha Fugaku give himself over so easily, but.. Perhaps he didn't want to fight his own son. Perhaps he had more humanity than Itachi after all.

Itachi was silent for a few seconds; he hadn't even looked at his mother yet. Finally he let that calm voice pour out again, directed toward the silent Mikoto. "You never told him of what passed between us, then?"

The lady Uchiha spoke just as calmly as her son, turning her head at last to look up at the armor-clad boy. "No, I never did."

"Then do your words still stand? Your not afraid?" The heir spoke again, so detached it might have been hurtful to his compassionate mother. But then again, she probably knew how he was hurting inside, and how showing any emotion right now would only make this harder.

"Are you... Going to kill Sasuke as well?" And finally the calm Mikoto broke, though the crack was ever so tiny. A silent stream of tears flowed down her cheeks as she considered the fate of her youngest son, in fear. Itachi turned to meet those wide, glassy eyes of his mother.

"No. Sasuke is to be spared."

Mikoto sighed, relieved, and she smiled softly as she let her voice be heard. "I am not afraid."

Itachi took a deep breath, then let it out softly as he drew the remaining needles he had in his possession with one nimble hand. The other moved the gently wipe the tears from his mother's cheeks. "I'll make it quick." The luminous twirl of his mangekyou sharingan encased his mother, sucking her in without resistance, and stealing her consciousness just as easily as it had Fugaku. Once they were both unconscious Itachi used his last needles to quickly end their lives before he carried them into the very back room, and set up the scene he had planned for his younger brother.

He would force Sasuke to leave behind all that brotherly attachment the siblings had cherished all these years, and the younger of the two would grow strong, and survive so that one day he could avenge his clan, a clan he would be allowed to believe had no intentions for war. Yes, he could think his clan was honorable, and slain for no important reason, and then... He could hate Itachi for this. He could make himself an invincible warrior, and one day the siblings could fight, and Itachi would die at Sasuke's hands. And at last, Sasuke would be a hero, an Uchiha that Konoha could truly be proud of.

-It was fitting enough.-

((Unless the ever-concerned elder brother continued to devise more twists and turns for his beloved sibling, if only to keep Sasuke safe, to insure a future for the boy.. But Itachi had yet to figure that much out.))

/It was hard to imagine anything beyond this night../

::

((It was over))

-Finally over-

Itachi bent down next to his fallen sibling- Sasuke had succumbed to his older brother's fatal treachery. The fallen heir reached out, petting the tiny boy, pushing the bangs away from his tear-stained face as he sniffled in his unconscious state, his body shuddering in disturbed sorrow.

The seeds had been planted in his young mind, seeds cut right from Itachi's now-hollow chest. He hated it. He and his brother both had to suffer so much. How he wished he could cradle, and hide Sasuke, far from the shinobi world, far from the cold harshness of life's lessons. How he wished he didn't have to turn such a sweet creature into a bitter man. ((Sasuke was so perfect the way he was. So innocent. So loving.))

((It was the same lesson, whether it was taught by watching animals kill each other, or men slaughter their brethren.))

Itachi heard footsteps, and his head snapped up demonically, eyes glowing like hellfire as they were laid upon the creature making the racket. It was Madara- He probably came to mock his student, and all of his 'love for life'. The young shinobi glared at his sensei, though Madara removed his mask to reveal a neutral expression, instead of that usual -amusement-.

((Those new eyes were playing tricks on you, Itachi, because Madara almost looked -sympathetic- for a moment.))

That demon knew nothing of sympathy! Still, his softened disposition calmed the traitorous heir enough so Madara was at least allowed to come near. He had something important to say, and so Itachi turned a pale face up to look at him. It wasn't until he caught the glimmer of moonlight reflecting off his own cheeks that he noticed he had been crying. He reached a pale hand up curiously to examine the substance, though he quickly just decided to wipe the wetness away with an exasperated sigh.

"A few more ANBU are arriving to investigate. We need to leave before they find us. You know this mission was kept secret- If they find us they will aim to kill us." Madara wasn't afraid, he probably just assumed Itachi wanted to avoid taking any more life tonight.

"Go ahead... I'll catch up." Itachi's voice sounded very weak- He was exhausted again, just as he had been the night he killed Shisui, probably more so, actually, but he had learned to deal with it without collapsing. His teacher knew the state he would be in, but he still just gave a nod, and snapped his mask back into place before bolting off.

The young traitor looked back down at his sibling, having very few words that came to mind to say to him. He supposed apologizing for not being around to watch clouds with him forever wouldn't mean much. He doubted Sasuke would ever watch a cloud again, much less at his brother's side. Itachi bent down, and kissed Sasuke one last time.

/Goodbye/

::  
_If you want to be a hero then just follow me  
__If you want to be a hero then just follow me  
_::

/End/


End file.
